Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the verge of their squad taking a huge hit this week as captain Ruben Neves is set to complete a move away from the club.
The Portuguese midfielder is poised to join Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in a deal reported to be worth €55m (£47m) as the Premier League side have decided to cash in on the former Porto prodigy with one year remaining on his contract.
Julen Lopetegui will now be in the market to replace the 26-year-old with The BBC claiming that the funds from the sale will be used to strengthen the squad.
Who could replace Ruben Neves at Wolves?
Wolves could find their heir to the current skipper by securing a deal to sign reported transfer target Kouadio 'Manu' Kone from Borussia Monchengladbach, who is valued at £35m by the German side.
The 22-year-old dynamo is a defensive-minded midfielder who could unlock the best out of Old Gold forward Matheus Cunha by providing a shield in front of the back four to free up the attackers to do what they do best in possession.
He made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match in the 22/23 Bundesliga campaign and this suggests that the French talent is able to have a similar impact to Neves, who made 3.7 per Premier League outing in the season just gone.
His ability to drive forward with the ball could also mean that Cunha is able to take up better positions in the final third instead of needing to drop deeper in order to get involved in the game.
Kone ranks in the top 4% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues over the last 365 days for successful take-ons completed per 90 (1.97) and has made 2.04 progressive carries per 90 in that time.
Whereas, Neves has averaged 0.57 successful take-ons and 0.83 progressive carries per 90 in the Premier League for Wolves over the last 365 days, suggesting that the Gladbach powerhouse would be a significant upgrade in terms of moving the team up the pitch to open up space for others to thrive in the final third.
Cunha only scored two goals in 19 domestic matches for the club in 22/23 but his tally of 13 goals and 11 assists in 56 league games for Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin combined through 20/21 and 21/22 suggests that there is far more to come from the Brazilian ace.
Kone, who talent scout Jacek Kulig once described as a "one-man army", could slot in behind Cunha in the team and use his defensive screening and progressive dribbling to provide the ex-LaLiga ace with a better platform from which to build a successful Wolves career next term.