Wolves await West Brom bid for AFCoN winger coming into form

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Bakary Sako has been hotly tipped to make the short journey down the A41 to link up with Pulis after the African Cup of Nations, where the 26-year-old notched Mali’s opener in his country’s 1-1 draw against 5/1 tournament favourites Ivory Coast.

Sako’s Molineux contract is up in the summer, and while Wolves boss Kenny Jackett insists he doesn’t want to lose the French-born flyer, who has notched seven times in the Championship this term, a hefty bid will likely force the former Millwall manager’s hand.

However, Jackett moved to quash rumours of a Sako switch in conversation with BBC West Midlands:

“There’s a lot of talk about him at the moment but the situation hasn’t changed. There’s been no contact…”

“We’ve had no bid. Whether there’s one imminent I don’t know.”

Sako’s strike in Equatorial Guinea could reignite West Brom’s interest, after he had gone 11 all-competition matches for Wolves dating back to the start of November without notching, having found the net in each of his four October appearances.

In other West Brom transfer news, Portugal forward Silvestre Varela has been sent back to Porto, after scoring once in seven Premier League outings on loan, while Argentine attacking-midfielder Sebastian Blanco has returned to his homeland with San Lorenzo.

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