Joao Moutinho stay 'not a priority for Wolverhampton Wanderers'

Wolverhampton Wanderers may reportedly opt against retaining the services of Joao Moutinho this summer.

Since moving to Molineux in 2018, Moutinho has established himself as one of the best players to ever represent the club, the Portugal international making 176 appearances in all competitions.

Despite now being four months short of his 36th birthday, Moutinho still made 34 starts in the Premier League last season, an indication that Bruno Lage continues to regard him as a key player.

However, the veteran is out of contract this summer and according to Jornal de Noticias, the club's hierarchy have not been proactive with offering fresh terms to the player.

That is despite Lage pushing for a new deal for Moutinho, a similar scenario seemingly emerging to the one which saw John Ruddy leave on a free transfer earlier this week.

The report claims that Wolves would prefer to bring in new, fresher players, rather than hand Moutinho another contract on relatively big wages.

Roma has allegedly emerged as a potential destination for Moutinho, where he would join Portuguese compatriot and former Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio.