Newcastle United have seen a £50million bid for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen rejected, with Wolves maintaining the Norway international will not be sold this summer.
Multiple outlets, including The Guardian, The Athletic, and Sky Sports, reported on Monday afternoon that Newcastle tabled a straight £50m offer, but Wolves’ hierarchy have deemed the 25-year-old irreplaceable given the timing of the window and his role as the club’s only proven senior striker.
Strand Larsen scored
14 Premier League goals last season and completed a permanent £23m switch from Celta Vigo to Molineux in July after a successful loan spell.
Head coach Vítor Pereira regards him as essential, particularly after the summer exits of Matheus Cunha, Nelson Semedo, and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
“Strand Larsen is a very important player for us,” Pereira said. “He’s committed with the team, he’s a fighter. He likes to win. He’s preparing himself to play tomorrow.”
Asked if Wolves could still lose him, Pereira left the door open to all options.
“The market is the market. If the window is open, players can come and players can leave,” Pereira said. “I believe this is possible.”
Strand Larsen is believed to be open to the idea of a move but has not expressed a full desire to leave Wolves, let alone submit any type of transfer request. Newcastle identified him as a potential successor to Callum Wilson, who departed for West Ham this summer, rather than a direct replacement for Alexander Isak, whose future remains unresolved.
Following this rejection and with Yoane Wissa talks stalling and other striker targets missed and most probably out of reach at this point in the transfer window, Newcastle’s search for reinforcements up front is looking like a catastrophe.
