Wolves have revived hope of signing Chicago Fire talent Gabriel Slonina, with Chelsea going cold on landing the American despite coming close to securing the teenager’s signature.
According to the Evening Standard, the Blues are yet to make any movement on a deal to sign Slonina since nearing a £10m agreement with the Fire, with the 18-year-old keeper still waiting for Chelsea to wrap up the transfer this summer amid interest from Real Madrid.
As per the report, Slonina wants a move to Europe this summer with Wolves also in contention to sign the American international, with Madrid previously the favourites to sign the teenage shot-stopper before Chelsea accelerated talks to sign the MLS superstar.
As to why the Blues have suddenly gone cold on Slonina, it is believed that the departures of Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia the main cause for this halt in transfer talks, with the Chelsea pair leaving their positions with the club last month as Todd Boehly looks to bring in his own people.
Indeed, as a result, next-to-no transfer dealings have been done since the American owner’s arrival, meaning Wolves could suddenly find themselves back in the race to sign Slonina, who could be an incredible backup option to Jose Sa and a future no. 1 for the Molineux side.
Whilst Chelsea have gone quiet on a deal for Slonina, though, Madrid are still a looming threat for Wolves, with the UEFA Champions League title holders keen to sign the teenager as a long-term replacement for Thibaut Courtois as well as a break into the American market.
Wolves need to move to fast to sign Slonina following Chelsea collapse
With Slonina’s move to Chelsea slowly slipping away, Wolves have been granted a second life to sign the talented goalkeeper, and Bruno Lage’s side need to move fast to complete the deal before the Blues begin to kickstart talks for the teenager.
Whilst Slonina would only be a second-choice keeper for Wolves, there’s no denying that having an understudy for Sa would be a great piece of business for the Premier League side, and the MLS superstar could be perfect to replace the Portuguese international in the future.
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