Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko seemingly will not be joining Wolverhampton Wanderers, but will Bristol City’s Joe Bryan?
It is now three weeks since Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly made a club-record £16 million bid to sign Manchester City youngster Oleksandr Zinchenko. And after something of a drawn-out saga, the Ukrainian international has broken his silence and poured cold water on a potential move to Molineux before the transfer window slams shut.
“To be honest, I think Manchester City is one of the best teams in the world right now. Everyone dreams of playing here, and that goes for me as well,” the 21-year-old, who moved to The Etihad from Ufa in 2016, told the Mirror.
“I try to learn every single day and I’m going to fight here. I’m dreaming of staying here.”
So, with a deal for Zinchenko seemingly dead in the water despite City accepting Wolves’ bid, the Mirror adds, it will be interesting to see whether Nuno Espirito Santo now goes all out for a player the Daily Star claimed was seen as a back-up to the blonde-haired Premier League winner.
The Star stated that Wolves will turn to Bristol City’s Joe Bryan should they fail to sign Zinchenko. The 24-year-old was terrific in the Championship last season but, with just a year left on his contract, the Robins appear ready to sell their £6 million-rated talisman, as reported by the Sun (25 July, page 61).
Now, Bryan would perhaps be a more natural replacement for the Leeds-bound Barry Douglas than Zinchenko, who is a central midfielder by trade. New recruit Jonny Castro, meanwhile, is right-footed and could be seen as an option on the opposite flank while the left-footed Ryan Giles is expected to leave on loan, meaning there is plenty of room for Bryan.
But with the Star adding that Bryan would prefer a move to RB Leipzig, could Wolves miss out on two left-back targets?
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