Wolverhampton Wanderers have struggled to make deals happen in the current transfer market due to financial issues at the club, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Who have Wolves signed?
It's been an incredibly underwhelming transfer window for Wolves so far.
Not only have the club lost some of their biggest players – Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins and Raul Jimenez have all departed – but the only new signings they have made are backup goalkeeper Tom King and the returning full-back Matt Doherty.
While Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore have also made their loan deals permanent, it has not been a transfer window that has got the pulses racing at Molineux.
This lack of activity has come as a result of Wolves owners Fosun Sports Group seeking new investment in the team due to financial issues at the club which mean they have to be careful not to breach Financial Fair Play rules.
Such financial concerns have cast doubts over manager Julen Lopetegui's future at the club and the Spanish coach will have limited resources to work with this summer.
According to transfer expert Romano, these issues have already caused Wolves significant issues in the transfer market, even potentially costing them a deal for young Italian international Mateo Retegui.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano stated: “I don't know precisely exactly how big the issue is because this is more financial journalism rather than transfer journalism, so I don't want to lie.
“But at the same time, I’m told about some conversations they had with players they wanted to bring in, for example, Mateo Retegui, the Italian-Argentinian striker playing for Tigres in Argentina.
“What happened is that Wolves wanted the player, but they needed some time before proceeding with an official bid. It was like ten days/two weeks to send an official bid. And this was too long, so the player said, ‘Okay, I don't want to wait. I’d prefer to go to Italy and join Genoa.’"
The specific case of Retegui highlights the difficulties Wolves are facing in raising funds to support Lopetegui in the market, and it's a concerning situation for Wolves and their supporters.
Despite earning £47m from the sale of Neves and £23m from Collins, the Midlands club have had to settle for free transfers this summer.
A 13th-placed Premier League finish somewhat disguised the issues at Molineux and was widely celebrated due to the club's dismal start to the season. But if Wolves can't bring in a few new faces before the end of the window, they could be in trouble again next year.
How have Wolves done in pre-season?
The Old Gold have played five pre-season matches so far, although three were behind closed doors, and they are yet to be beaten.
Indeed, Lopetegui's side started with a 2-1 win over Vitoria SC, followed by a 1-0 victory against SC Farense and a 2-0 win over Blackpool. In their first game in front of supporters Wolves impressively beat Porto 1-0 thanks to a goal from the Portuguese forward Pedro Neto, which was then followed by a 1-1 draw with Celtic in Dublin.
Cunha has been the standout player for Wolves in pre-season, netting three times in friendlies so far following his permanent move to Molineux. His goals could be absolutely pivotal for the Old Gold next season.
Wolves have two more pre-season friendlies before their Premier League opener against Manchester United, facing newly-promoted Luton Town and Ligue 1 side Rennes at Molineux.