---
title: "Wolves: Wanderers target Duje Caleta-Car could join West Ham"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wolves-target-duje-caleta-car-west-ham-interest/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Henry Jackson"
section: "Premier League"
published: "2022-01-24T20:15:42Z"
modified: "2022-01-24T20:15:42Z"
---

# Wolves: Wanderers target Duje Caleta-Car could join West Ham

**Wolves have suffered a potential blow in their quest to sign Marseille centre-back Duje Caleta-Car, with West Ham eyeing up a late January move for him.**

### The Lowdown: Wolves keen on Caleta-Car

Wanderers have been exceptional at the back this season, [conceding just 16 times](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/table) in 21 Premier League matches, with Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss excelling as a back-three.

However, there is still a need for defensive depth should any of that trio face a prolonged absence, and Caleta-Car has been [linked](https://www.molineux.news/transfer-news/wolves-retain-an-interest-in-caleta-car-and-also-have-interest-in-badiashile/) with coming into the club during the January transfer window.

The [20-cap](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/duje-caleta-car/profil/spieler/238266) Croatia international has [started 12 Ligue 1 matches](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/251134/Show/Duje-Caleta-Car) for Marseille this season, enjoying a [92.1%](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/251134/Show/Duje-Caleta-Car) pass completion rate. That is distinctly better than [anyone in Bruno Lage’s current squad,](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/161/Show/England-Wolverhampton-Wanderers) so he could greatly improve their ability to play out from the back.

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### The Latest: West Ham ready to swoop

It looks as though Wolves could now miss out on signing the 25-year-old, though, with [The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/3087017/2022/01/24/ornstein-aubameyang-wants-to-stay-in-europe-man-utd-step-up-manager-hunt-spurs-explore-lo-celso-swap-deal/?source=emp_shared_article)‘s David Ornstein claiming that West Ham want to sign Caleta-Car this month.

His current Marseille deal [expires](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/duje-caleta-car/profil/spieler/238266) in the summer of 2023, so the French club only have two transfer windows left to receive a healthy fee for his services before they risk losing him for nothing.

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### The Verdict: Potential blow for Wolves

While Wolves don’t have defensive problems of any kind at the moment, missing out on Caleta-Car could be a blow, especially if it makes a Premier League rival stronger. West Ham would also have the advantage of being able to offer him [Europa League football](https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/standings/) in the spring, a competition from which Marseille were [eliminated](https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/standings/) last month.

His aforementioned pass completion rate is highly impressive – Coady tops the pile for Wolves in that respect with [88%](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/161/Show/England-Wolverhampton-Wanderers) this season – and he also averaged [2.5 tackles and 3.5 clearances](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/251134/Show/Duje-Caleta-Car) per game at Euro 2020 last summer, displaying his no-nonsense defensive prowess.

Wolves are running out of time to find an alternative target and it would be a risk not to sign anyone, with an injury to any of the first-choice centre-backs potentially leaving Lage [short of options](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wolverhampton-wanderers/kadernachposition/verein/543).

***In other news, another Wolves target has also been linked with another Premier League team. Find out who it is [here](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wolves-transfer-rumours/aaron-ramsey-wolves-transfer-latest-palace-vieira/).***