Exclusive: Wolves turn to Championship stalwart to fill centre-back void in last-ditch move

Wolves are set to step up their pursuit of Sheffield United defender Anel Ahmedhodzic after missing out on Dara O’Shea, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

Ipswich beat Wolves to the signing of Republic of Ireland international Dara O’Shea over the weekend after Wolves had targeted the Burnley as a replacement for Max Kilman.

Wolves have yet to replace key man Kilman since his big-money move to West Ham earlier this summer and his presence in defence has been badly missed.

Molineux boss Gary O’Neil keen to bring in a new central defender to bolster his squad having seen his side concede six goals to Chelsea at the weekend.

Toti and Yerson Mosquera have started in central defence in Wolves’s opening two games of the season and O’Neil is desperate to add more cover and quality to his defensive options.

Wolves’ transfer budget for the remainder of the window is reportedly limited, and the club will have to be smart to find a target capable of replacing Kilman.

It has been claimed that Wolves only have £20m to spend before the transfer window slams shut on them at the end of the month.

Wolves have been linked to a handful of defensive talent from across Europe but they are believed to prefer springing for a player with experience of the English top-flight over options like Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix, Lens’ Kevin Danso or Udinese’s Jaka Bijol.

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Sheffield United not keen on selling key man

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Ahmedhodzic figures on O’Neil’s wanted list as he has Premier League experience from his time in the top flight with Sheffield United last term.

The Blades standout was missing from the Sheffield United team sheet for the trip to Norwich City but his absence has since been put down to illness.

While Ahmedhodzic’s absence was explained, the rationale will do little to quell speculation that his future lies elsewhere ahead of the looming transfer deadline.

Bosnia and Herzegovina international Ahmedhodzic made 32 Premier League appearances for Sheffield United last season, but could not prevent them suffering relegation to the Championship.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ahmedhodzic has a £17m release clause written into his current deal with the Championship outfit.

Sheffield United are reluctant to lose Ahmedhodzic as they look to build a squad capable of winning promotion back to the Premier League, but they are bracing themselves for offers for the defender from Wolves before the window closes this Friday.

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