Exclusive: Wolves keen to keep out of contract star

The right-back, who signed from Barcelona in 2020 for an initial £27.5million, agreed a three-year deal that included the option extend it until 2025. 

Semedo will be coming to the end of that two-year extension in the summer and in January he will be free to negotiate with other clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement that would see him leave Wolves at the end of the season. 

The 31-year-old is not short of suitors but it is understood he is open to staying at Wolves and the club are eager to keep the experienced defender, who has a good relationship with head coach Gary O’Neil and is happy at the club. 

With free agents able to demand signing on fees at their new clubs it is likely that both Wolves and Semedo will need to be willing to compromise on the finances to get a deal done and there is still work to do to make it a reality.

But with both parties open to agreeing a new contract, Wolves are hopeful of opening negotiations and getting a deal over the line. 

The defender has been a key member of O’Neil’s team and a consistent starter for the head coach. 

With Wolves now backing O’Neil and planning to put faith in him to turn Wolves’ fortunes around, keeping Semedo would be a key part of next season’s plans for the boss. 

However, it would also depend on Wolves’ ability to avoid relegation this season. 

Craig Dawson, Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina are all also out of contract in the summer. 

There is an option to extend Lemina’s contract by 12 months, however, and O’Neil previously said he expects the captain to stay at the club. 

It remains to be seen if Wolves will fight to keep 34-year-old Dawson, while Sarabia is the most likely player to depart next summer due to his high wages and lack of game time.