Lyon hands Wolves golden transfer opportunity to finally land ‘sharp’ 17-goal player

Wolves are in the market for a new striker – and Lyon’s relegation to Ligue 2 may now present a golden transfer opportunity.

Wolves have landed Fer Lopez, and the hope is that a second number 10 will soon be arriving.But Wolves also want a new striker, with Jorgen Strand Larsen needing cover and competition.

The likelihood is that Sasa Kalajdzic will be leaving Wolves on loan for 2025/26, as he bids to regain his match sharpness following his serious knee injury.

And Fabio Silva is expected to leave Wolves permanentlyThere is also uncertainty over two players that have had stints playing down the middle for Wolves, Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan.

On Tuesday, there was big news over in France as Lyon were relegated to Ligue 2 – and this now potentially hands Wolves a chance to sign a player who’s been on their radar.Lyon have been demoted to Ligue 2 after failing to convince the authorities that they had resolved their financial difficulties.

Lyon were hit with a provisional relegation in November after racking up huge debts, and yesterday the French Football League (LFP) announced that their relegation has been upheld, and that they will be playing in Ligue 2 next term.

But assuming they are unsuccessful with that appeal, an exodus will undoubtedly take place, with a number of players at Lyon simply too good to be playing in the second tier.

And one man who falls into this category is Georges Mikautadze, a player Wolves have been linked with as far back as the summer of 2023.Mikautadze only joined Lyon last year from Metz, and scored 17 goals across all competitions in 2024/25. He also supplied 11 assists.

Even as recently as March 2025, Wolves were said to be monitoring Mikautadze, and there will now be a chance for Wolves to sign the Georgia international.

There will be a fire sale at Lyon now after their demotion, so potentially a chance to get Mikautadze for less than his true market value.Wolves have had success raiding the French market in recent times.

The additions of Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi were pivotal last season, with both players showing there is value to be had with players playing in the French top-flight.

It is probably inevitable that Mikautadze will now be linked with Wolves again given the previous interest.

According to Coaches Voice, Mikautadze’s ‘central runs in-behind are a huge threat, though, while his composure on the ball is impressive after sprinting to break the last line’.They add: “He is a right-footed centre-forward who can finish well with either foot, although he scores most of his goals on his stronger right side. He adapts well inside the penalty area and does score on his left, too, possessing a powerful strike despite not having a particularly big back-swing.”

Breaking The Lines note that Mikautadze has ‘sharp feet and clever thinking when rapidly closed down, enabling him to quickly evade defenders with a cheeky nutmeg’.

The likelihood now is that several teams will try to sign the 24-year-old, and Wolves certainly ought to get involved themselvesThe main mission for Wolves this summer is to try and replace Matheus Cunha’s incredible final third output.

Cunha completed his long-awaited Manchester United transfer at the start of June after scoring an impressive 17 goals for Wolves during the 2024/25 campaign.