Nice midfielder Mario Lemina could undergo a medical at Wolves as early this week as the former Southampton and Fulham ace closes in on a return to the Premier League, according to FootMercato.
Nicolas Pepe, Aaron Ramsey, Kasper Schmeichel, Ross Barkley, Morgan Schneiderlin and Joe Bryan are all earning a living at the Allianz Riviera these days. Well, we say ‘earning’. That particular word is certainly doing a lot of heavy lifting with regards of some of that aforementioned sextet.
Ramsey and Schmeichel have been huge disappointments. Bryan has barely kicked a ball in anger. And Schneiderlin – once a £24 million signing from Manchester United – finds himself well adrift of the first-team picture.
Nice, who sacked head coach Lucien Favre following a disappointing start to the Ligue 1 season, hope to find a buyer for Schneiderlin this month.
Wolves are close to signing Mario Lemina from Nice
In stark contrast, another of Nice’s Premier League exports – Mario Lemina – is a player The Eagles were planning to keep. But it seems that a near-£10 million bid for the now-29-year-old enforcer will be enough to see Lemina fly the nest; Wolves digging their claws into a man relegated during his most recent Premier League spell with Fulham.
Wolverhampton Wanderers saw two initial bids rejected for the Gabon international. After raising their offer from £5 million to £9 million, however, an agreement with Nice now appears to be imminent. FootMercato believe that Lemina could arrive back in England this week before undergoing a medical at Molineux.
If successful, he would become the second new arrival of the Julen Lopetegui era. Wolves have already brought in Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha. They are in talks with veteran defender Felipe (Atletico Madrid) and the so-called ‘Guernsey Grealish’; Alex Scott of Bristol City.
The Athletic backs up FootMercato’s claims, adding that talks between Wolves and Nice are now ‘advanced’. Lemina, a highly-experienced midfielder with plenty of strings to his bow, would fill a void in Lopetegui’s squad created by an injury to Boubacar Traore. Traore could miss around two months of action.
Interestingly, Wolves came close to signing Lemina from Southampton back in 2019. They were disappointed to see a deal collapse late in the window. Lopetegui and co will be hoping history does not repeat itself.
Nice, meanwhile, have announced former Middlesbrough enforcer Didier Digard as Favre’s short-term successor.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
