Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly been told by head coach Julen Lopetegui that he will be remaining at Molineux.
Upon his arrival in November, the feeling was that the former Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla boss would need to secure survival in the Premier League if the two parties were not to go their separate ways.
Lopetegui instead instigated a superb turnaround as Wolves moved from the bottom of the standings at Christmas to secure their top-flight status for another 12 months with three matches remaining.
However, Lopetegui's long-term status at Wolves has remained uncertain courtesy of the Spaniard being left frustrated by the club's transfer plans for the summer.
As a result of spending heavily over the past two transfer windows, Wolves must ensure that they fulfil FFP criteria over the coming months.
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That has already led to Joao Moutinho and Diego Costa leaving at the end of their respective contracts, and Wolves are also eager to facilitate the big-money sale of Ruben Neves in a bid to raise transfer funds.
Whether a positive outcome will materialise with that saga remains to be seen with a move to Barcelona now seemingly in doubt, yet Wolves appear to have been provided with more clarity regarding the dugout.
As first reported by John Percy of The Telegraph, Lopetegui has communicated with club officials that he is fully focused on the 2023-24 campaign, rather than considering his future.
The development comes at a time when Wolves have learned that they will begin next season with an away fixture at Manchester United.
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Lopetegui and sporting director Matt Hobbs will now need to find solutions in areas of the pitch that requiring strengthening, as well as consider other ways to raise funds.
Max Kilman and Nathan Collins have been linked with transfers to Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford respectively, with the long-serving Kilman valued in the region of £35m and Collins in excess of £20m.
If such bids are made for either of the pair, a sale will be considered, as will be the case with the likes of Jonny and Raul Jimenez, the latter having one year left on his contract.
In terms of incomings, Wolves are regarded as the frontrunners to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia for a fee of approximately £5m.
Darren Plant
