Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen a £10m bid for Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque turned down, according to Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Lage on the lookout
Raul Jimenez is now facing a significant spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury during the Premier League side’s pre-season friendly against Besiktas last month, and Bruno Lage is keen to sign a direct replacement, despite adding versatile attacker Goncalo Guedes to the pack.
Sky Sports (via Birmingham Mail) first credited the Wanderers with an interest in the 28-year-old Ajorque, stating that Bruno Lage’s men sent scouts out to watch their target in pre-season action, and it looks like they've now made their first attempt at a deal.
The Latest: Wolves get offer rejected
Football Insider report that Wolves’ £10m offer for Ajorque has been ‘rejected’, with Strasbourg having ‘knocked back’ the bid as they are adamant to ‘hold out’ for their ‘£18m asking price’.
It’s believed that fellow top-flight clubs Leicester City, Brentford and Everton are all ‘keeping close tabs’ on the forward and ‘watched him’ in the Ligue 1 squad’s fixture vs Monaco last weekend.
The Verdict: Time to act fast
Wolves will of course want to wrap up any kind of deal for as little as possible and having this rejection will be a blow for Lage, but Ajorque is a player who they need to splash the cash on imminently to fend off their competitors.
The Frenchman, dubbed a ‘beast physically’ by football journalist Alessandro Schiavone, is known for his 6 foot 6 frame and prolific form in front of goal, having netted 12 times with eight assists in Ligue 1 last season while winning 3.5 aerial duels per game.
Ajorque could add a different dimension with his height in the final third and be the target man that Wolves have been looking for to fill that Jimenez-shaped void.