Wolves to avoid FFP punishment after £140m summer sales

Wolves are set to avoid future punishment by the Premier League after their remarkable £140 million summer sale of players.

Seventeen players departed over the summer as Wolves took desperate action to fend off the threat of sanctions for breaking Profit and Sustainability rules (previously known as Financial Fair Play).

With Everton facing a possible points deduction over an alleged breach of the regulations, Wolves are confident that the squad exodus will ensure they avoid a Premier League charge.

Telegraph Sport has learned that if Wolves had failed to raise around £90 million this summer, the club could have been in serious trouble next year. Ruben Neves, Raúl Jiménez, Nathan Collins and Conor Coady were the high-profile departures, with head coach Julen Lopetegui also quitting before the start of the season.

The £53 million sale of Portugal international midfielder Matheus Nunes to champions Manchester City then enabled Wolves to comfortably exceed the target.

Wolves remain under temporary restrictions and will not be spending big in the January transfer window, with the club midway through the critical final 12 months of the three-year cycle to comply with P&S rules. Premier League rules state that a club is in breach of financial regulations if they make an adjusted loss of more than £105 million over a three-year period.

Gary O’Neil has prioritised the addition of a “No 9” forward and Wolves owners Fosun are weighing up how much money can be made available. O’Neil is targeting a striker so £44 million signing Matheus Cunha can play a free role across the front-three that the club has always envisaged him playing.

Southampton’s Che Adams was under consideration in the final days of the summer window and could be revisited as a potential target. It is understood that Wolves have now dropped their interest in Salernitana’s Boulaye Dia.

Wolves have no plans to sell any more first-team regulars, with star player Pedro Neto committing his future to the club last week. Jose Sa, the goalkeeper, recently signed a new contract and talks are understood to have started with defender Hugo Bueno over fresh terms.

Wolves are currently five league games unbeaten under O’Neil, who has highly impressed the club hierarchy since his appointment in August.