Could rival bid urge Wolves to pay big for West Ham’s Ashley Fletcher?

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Middlesbrough are reported to have offered £7m to land West Ham United youngster Ashley Fletcher – a striker on Wolves’ radar.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have hardly been shy about making their voice heard in the transfer market this summer.

Thanks to their connections with Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes, Wolves have landed Willy Boly and Diogo Jota from two Champions League regulars, Porto and Atletico Madrid, while smashing the Championship’s transfer record to land Ruben Neves for £15.8 million, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The influence of Jorge Mendes has made a major impact at Molineux

And it appears that they will have to spend big again if they are to land their chosen centre-forward, the missing piece of the jigsaw.

According to The Sun, West Ham were willing to let 21-year-old Ashley Fletcher leave on loan this summer in search for more regular game time and Wolves were among the clubs keen to offer him an opportunity.

However, big spending rivals Middlesbrough have taken the deal in a different direction by offering £7 million to land the one-time Manchester United prospect on a permanent deal, as reported by The Mirror – despite already paying huge sums for Britt Assombalonga and Martin Braithwaite this summer.

Big money, big risk?

Therefore, if Wolves want to land Fletcher, they may be forced to battle Boro for his signature and meet their bid. It is unknown whether West Ham will let him leave permanently but, considering that they signed him on a free last summer, a £7 million deal would be quite the profit for a player who only started two league games in 2016/17.

Whether Wolves should follow Boro’s lead and make a hefty bid is another question entirety. No Wolves striker netted more than three Championship goals last season and the departure of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to Reading leaves them short up top.

Yet, despite helping Barnsley earn promotion to the second tier in 2015/16, netting twice in the play-off final against Millwall, Fletcher has never played a minute of football in the Championship.

Fletcher left Man United for regular first-team football – but barely featured for West Ham

£7 million is a risk – but a fee Wolves could probably afford to pay.