All the big transfer stories at Wolves so far this month have concerned exits, with the likes of Fabio Silva (Rangers), Yerson Mosquera (Cincinnati), Goncalo Guedes (Benfica), Luke Cundle (Stoke) and Sasa Kalajdzic (Eintracht Frankfurt) making loan moves and Jonny ripping up by his contract by mutual consent ahead of an anticipated move to Greek side PAOK.
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But ahead of deadline day on Thursday, there's still time for that to change, amid recent links to Habib Diallo and Che Adams. Another potential target for Gary O'Neil is Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James after Fabrizio Romano revealed on Saturday that Wolves are showing interest. It seems they've already taken another step towards trying to sign him.
Wolves get in touch over James
According to The Daily Mail and journalist Simon Jones, Wolves have now made contact over a move for James. The Molineux outfit have been in touch with their Midlands rivals to ask about a deal, but they face competition from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace.
It's noted that Italian club Atalanta made an offer for the Welshman earlier in the window, but their £3m proposal fell way short of Birmingham's £10m valuation. It now remains to be seen whether Wolves make a bid too, and whether it's in the territory that the Blues would accept.
James shining despite Blues turmoil
James is only 19 years old but he's already he's only one short of 80 Championship appearances. While he's been playing first-team football for three seasons now, he's taken on a greater role this season, already setting a career-high for league minutes and matching his career-high for starts. He's making a big impact too – only Jay Stansfield (eight) has scored more second-tier goals for Birmingham than the teenager (six) this term.
2021/22
13
1,183
2022/23
9
1,048
2023/24
13
1,290
In a further mark of James' maturity, he's now up to eight caps for Wales even though he only made his senior debut last March. Described as a "lovely player to watch" by football presenter and reporter Danny Jamieson, he's succeeding despite the turmoil at St Andrew's this season.
Birmingham are already onto their third manager of the season in Tony Mowbray, having sacked John Eustace in the autumn and then dismissing Wayne Rooney after just 15 games at the start of this month. Sitting 20th in the Championship after 28 games, the club face a fight for survival.
Despite that, James has continued to impress, and Mowbray has offered an intriguing verdict on his future. While he'd like to build around James as one of his "best young players", he also accepts that "every player has a price" and sees the argument for selling a wantaway asset if the funds can then be reinvested. Keep an eye out, then, for a late transfer request, one that could set the wheels in motion for this particular deal.