Express & Star

Wolves will be going back for Alex Baptiste

Wolves are set to make a summer pitch for £1m-plus rated Blackpool defender Alex Baptiste after having a bid rejected in the January transfer window.

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Manager Dean Saunders is understood to have made the 27-year-old Tangerines skipper a priority signing after his club rejected offers from Wolves, Blackburn and Leicester.

Baptiste is out of contract in the summer when he will attract plenty of interest.

But although he refused to confirm Baptiste was the target he was chasing, Saunders is known to be keen on the right-back or central defender and is expected to return when there is no fee involved.

"There's only one player I tried to sign who I see in my plans for next season, to put the first building block in place," said Saunders.

"We made a big offer for him but we will have to wait until the summer to get him. He's contracted to another team until the summer and he's not available.

"We never put a written offer in, but it was knocked back verbally. But I'm still pursuing that one and we've got to be better defensively."

Asked if it was Baptiste, Saunders would only say: "He's contracted to Blackpool."

Fans are angry at the lack of spending in January with Wolves receiving up to £28m from the sales of Steven Fletcher, Matt Jarvis and Michael Kightly last summer.

Saunders insisted money was there for him to spend – but on players to benefit the club long term.

"It wasn't that there was no fresh money – if the chairman feels it's someone we'd be putting into place for next season, he's prepared to spend the money," said the boss.

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