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Wolves move on from Matt Mills

Wolves missed out on Matt Mills after refusing to join a phoney bidding war with Leicester.

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Wolves missed out on Matt Mills after refusing to join a phoney bidding war with Leicester.

The 24-year-old defender has signed a four-year deal with the big-spending Championship club, who agreed to pay an initial £4.3million rising to £5.5million.

And Wolves' offer to Reading for the centre-half was actually less than £3million.

Despite only two clubs chasing his signature, Leicester continued to up the bidding on the misunderstanding that the price was being cranked up by rival offers.

In fact, they were only bidding against themselves for a Championship player who could have walked away for nothing when his contract expired in a year's time.

Wolves were also unwilling to pay Mills the £25,000 to £30,000 a week wages he will be earning at Leicester.

Those wages would have put Mills – who has played less than 90 minutes in the Premier League – on more than many Wolves players who have two years' top flight football under their belts.

And the club was unwilling to potentially risk dressing room disharmony over a player so inexperienced in the top division.

Mills was Wolves' top target along with Roger Johnson, who remains on their radar, but Blues' £9million asking price will have to come down if Wolves are to do business over the 28-year-old.

Manager Mick McCarthy would love to recruit long-term favourite Jonny Evans from Manchester United, and the Northern Ireland international fits the profile Wolves are trying to attract.

But they are waiting to see the signals from Old Trafford after the departure of Wes Brown to Sunderland, which should be closely followed by John O'Shea to Wearside.

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