Wolverhampton Wanderers will reportedly miss out on the signing of Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez.
During the last two transfer windows, Wolves have failed to bring in a new central midfielder, much to the frustration of head coach Bruno Lage.
However, it is a situation which must be addressed this summer with Joao Moutinho currently out of contract and nearly 36 years of age.
Furthermore, Ruben Neves has been heavily linked with a transfer to Barcelona, something which has led to suggestions of Gonzalez moving in the opposite direction.
However, according to ESPN reporter Moises Llorens, officials at the Catalan giants have decided to retain the services of the 20-year-old.
A meeting is said to have taken place with a number of high-profile figures on Wednesday evening, including Barcelona president Joan Laporta, director of football Mateu Alemany and super-agent Jorge Mendes.
The latter has allegedly been attempting to find Gonzalez a club for next season, aware that Xavi wants to add Neves to his midfield options.
Nevertheless, after the conclusion of the meeting, Mendes told waiting reporters: "They don't want to sell Nico, even though we have offers for him. The meeting went very well."
With a loan switch seemingly still a possibility, it remains to be seen what the ramifications will be for any proposal involving Neves over the coming weeks.
Barcelona had reportedly hoped to lower any transfer fee with the inclusion of at least one player in part-exchange, but Wolves are said to be only interested in Gonzalez.
The development could be perceived to be a major boost to the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, who are better financially equipped to sign the Portugal international.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was claimed that Wolves would look to recoup in the region of £70m for Neves, who has two years remaining on his contract at Molineux.
Nevertheless, that alleged price tag may have to be reduced if Wolves want to facilitate a sale this summer, particularly when Lage wants to use the generated funds to sign his own targets. body check tags ::
