‘Magnificent’ Wolves man may lose dream transfer as £13m bid rejected

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Rafa Mir could miss out on his dream move to Atletico Madrid after Wolves rejected a £13 million bid, as reported by Spanish publication Cope.

However, that isn’t to say Wolverhampton Wanderers plan to retain the services of their Spain U21 star.

Despite a terrific season on loan at Huesca in 2020/21 – and a number of eye-catching performances at the Tokyo Olympics – Mir remains the odd one out at Molineux, stuck behind the highly rated Fabio Silva and returning Raul Jimenez in Wolves’ pecking order.

Furthermore, with Wolves under pressure to sell before they can buy – a central defender is a must before the end of August – Mir will be allowed to leave if the price is right.

And whatever that ‘price’ is, it’s certainly more than the £13 million put forward by Atletico Madrid this week.

According to Cope, Wolves want more. Substantially more.

Wolves or Atletico Madrid? Where will Rafa Mir play this season?

The former Nottingham Forest loanee will now return to England as he looks to resolve his situation.

There remains a good chance Mir will be sold at some point this month. He has played just 27 minutes of league football in three years at Wolves and rejected the chance to extend a contract that runs out in 11 months’ time.

Mir dreams of playing for Atletico Madrid, although he also has admirers at Celta Vigo and Valencia.

Then again, it seems unlikely Celta or Valencia would be able to pay more than £13 million for Mir. Money doesn’t exactly grow on trees in La Liga.

“(Mir) would fit in at Celta and for many teams because he is a magnificent player,” said Celta president Carlos Mourino.

However, Mourino added a caveat.

“He belongs to an English team and it isn’t easy to negotiate with the English. And, on the other hand, he has done very well and surely has many teams behind him.”

It’s understood Wolves are also looking to cash in on another contract-rebel in the shape of Owen Otasowie. Like Mir, the USA international has rejected a new contract and will be sold for a fee in the region of £5 million.