Opinion: Clubs may have to pay £5m and £1m-a-year in wages to sign Wolves defender
Leicester City aren’t going to sign Ryan Bennett permanently this summer, so Wolverhampton Wanderers will have to locate another suitor willing to take the 30-year-old off their hands. Bennett’s contract is up in 2021, so Wolves’ best chance of getting maximum value through his sale is by cashing in this summer.
Bennett made 19 appearances in all competitions for Wolves, but he amassed only 604 minutes of Premier League football and spent most of the season behind Romain Saiss, Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Leander Dendoncker in the centre-back pecking order.
The 30-year-old was surprisingly signed on loan by Leicester in January but was only deemed a last-resort squad player by Brendan Rodgers and never made an appearance. City had the option to sign Bennett for £5m, but his lack of activity at the King Power Stadium is likely why they’ve opted against making a move.
Wolves value the defender at £5m and his contract is currently worth £1m-a-year/£20k-per-week. There’s no word on which clubs would be interested in Bennett but suitors are sure to form when the summer transfer window opens. The 30-year-old has made 92 appearances in all competitions since joining Wolves from Norwich City in 2017, so he’s an experienced top-level player.
Nuno Espirito Santo does have the option to keep Bennett, but Wolves risk losing him for nothing next year if he doesn’t sign a new deal. And with the Midlands outfit being linked with Christian Luyindama, Tosin Adarabioyo, Gabriel Magalhaes and John Egan, they’re clearly planning for his exit.