Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Bruno Lage could be hit with a major transfer blow in the summer, with Max Kilman currently linked with a possible move away from Molineux.
That is according to TalkSport, which claims the 24-year-old has attracted the attention of another Premier League side, Chelsea, who may look to make a move in the summer.
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Rumours of potential interest from the Blues comes amid their current contract headache over the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta.
To the advantage of the Wanderers, the 24-year-old does still have over four years remaining on his contract at Molineux, so any move made for the defender would likely require serious financial backing to tempt Wolves into a sale.
But if the Englishman was to depart in the summer, what potential positive and negative effects could the move have on the current setup at Molineux?
Huge blow for Lage’s defence
Wolves boast an incredible defensive record this season in the Premier League, with just 18 goals conceded across their 24 games so far.
Only league leaders Manchester City have been able to maintain a better defensive record this season with 17.
And Kilman has played an enormous role in Lage’s defence, with the 24-year-old playing every single minute of league action this season (via Transfermarkt).
Despite Lage being just a matter of months into the job with Wolves, the Portuguese manager has the Wanderers flying high in the Premier League table.
Wolves currently sit seventh and just six points adrift of the Champions League spots with games in hand on Manchester United ahead of their clash with Arsenal.
And we think the biggest factor in their success has been the solidity in defence – and Kilman has evidently played a huge role in Lage’s backline this season, so he could therefore be a massive miss.
Chances for young prospects?
This week saw the return of the summer signing Yerson Mosquera from a serious hamstring injury that had seen him sidelined since September.
The Colombian centre-back featured for the Wolves U23s side on Tuesday against Exeter City and managed to get 45 minutes of action under his belt as he makes a steady comeback to full fitness.
Having signed in the summer from Atletico Nacional for a figure of around £4.68m, the Wolves fans have only seen the 20-year-old play for nine minutes in the Carabao Cup before sustaining the injury.
Should a spot in Lage’s defence become available over the summer through the possible exit of Kilman, the £2.7m-rated ace should have returned to first-team action by then to potentially stake a claim in the side.
However, Lage could potentially look to one of his loanees, Dion Sanderson, as a possible option to return over the summer after his latest loan stint and throw his hat in the ring for a spot in the squad.
Sanderson has spent the last few seasons away from Molineux on various loans to gather some experience playing first-team football.
Could the years away on loan finally prove beneficial for Sanderson if Kilman is to leave in the summer and open up a spot in Wolves’ defence? Only time will tell.
In other news: ‘I’m back’ – Wolves player drops exciting post on Instagram