Wolves: Negotiations ongoing for Romain Saiss and Willy Boly's AFCON departure
Negotiations are ongoing to determine whether Wolves will have defensive pair Romain Saiss and Willy Boly available for their New Year clash with Manchester United.
The two centre-backs are expected to be called up for Morocco and Ivory Coast respectively for the African Cup of Nations, which runs from January 9 to February 6 in Cameroon.
Boly is currently suffering with a muscular problem but Wolves boss Bruno Lage previously said he expects the defender to be fit for the international tournament.
The pair are expected to be called up for a training camp in late December, but they are likely to be available for Wolves’ trip to Arsenal on December 28.
However, the Premier League are negotiating on behalf of their clubs with FIFA and tournament officials to see if players can leave in early January and be available for their clubs. If a deal is reached, Saiss and Boly will be available for Wolves’ clash away at Manchester United on January 3.
That would be a major boost for Lage, who would be left with only two senior centre-backs. The group stage for the tournament finishes on January 20 and both Morocco and Ivory Coast are expected to progress. If they top their groups they could also meet in the quarter-finals.
Wolves could be without one of both of them for a maximum of six games, depending on the club's FA Cup progress. That would drop to five games if they are available to face United.
