Wolves have been dealt a blow with the news that Manchester United and Chelsea are looking to snap up the Molineux club's recruitment chief Matt Hobbs.

The Lowdown: Hobbs' role at Wolves

In an era where transfer fees are often exorbitant, player recruitment is becoming an increasingly important aspect of running a football club, with everyone looking to get good value on the players that they sign.

Hobbs is a key figure at Wolves in that respect, heading the recruitment team and doing his best to ensure that the right players come in each summer in order to strengthen the squad.

The Old Gold's business has often been astute under his watch, with Bruno Lage praising his work in the past, and his efforts clearly aren't going unnoticed elsewhere.

The Latest: Hobbs wanted by Premier League giants

According to Football Insider, United and Chelsea are eyeing up a move for Hobbs, seeing him as someone who can enhance their respective recruitment departments.

The Wolves employee is 'on the radar' of both Premier League clubs, and a deal to secure his services could be finalised 'within weeks'.

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The Verdict: Big blow for Wolves

Having a top-class recruitment chief in place is huge for any club - Michael Edwards at Liverpool is a good example of that - and Hobbs is no different.

Although he has only been in his current role since February, he has still overseen some notable business at Molineux, with more than £100m spent on summer signings Matheus Nunes, Goncaldo Guedes, Sasa Kalajdzic and Nathan Collins - the former of those being a club-record transfer for the Old Gold.

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Should Hobbs move on - he may find it hard to say no to one of the foremost clubs in the league - it is imperative that a suitable replacement comes in immediately, ensuring that Wolves can still pull off some astute business in the transfer market.