Head coach Bruno Lage has suggested that Conor Coady is most likely to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer, rather than Ruben Neves or Morgan Gibbs-White.
Throughout the summer transfer window, Neves and Gibbs-White have been heavily linked with a move away from Molineux, a consequence of their high valuation and Wolves' preferring to generating their own funds for new signings.
That has remained the case this week with Manchester United said to be contemplating whether to move for Neves and Nottingham Forest allegedly having a bid in the region of £35m rejected for Gibbs-White.
However, over the past 36 hours, it has been claimed that Everton are also monitoring the situation of Wolves captain Conor Coady.
Despite the defender's status and having made 317 appearances during his seven-year stint at Molineux, the 29-year-old is not expected to start against Leeds United on Saturday due to Lage wishing to switch to a back four.
When addressing the situation at his pre-match press conference, Lage told reporters: "He is one of the best people I know in football. He's still my captain. I have to understand what's best for him and for the club.
"I look at how my team is improving and the dynamic we are creating. We have been working on playing with a line of four this pre-season. I've got six players that can play in the defence. But I have massive respect for Conor and what he gives to the club. I will not forget that."
The Portuguese also confirmed reports that Wolves had rejected a number of offers for Gibbs-White with Forest known to be eager to sign a player who has previously worked with Steve Cooper during their time with England Under-17s.
Nevertheless, Lage added: "We have rejected bids for Morgan because he is an important player for me and for the dynamic we are building. He is happy. His work every day in training shows me that.
"When you have this connection between the manager, the player and his teammates then everything is good. He is fit and motivated to do his best."
Lage was also quizzed on the future of Neves, who he has previously described as a £100m player, and the Wolves boss reiterated that it would take a big offer to change the club's stance on their star player.
"Credit to Jeff [Shi]. Some people criticise but we do our best", said Lage. "If you want to build something good you try to keep your best players and we did that. We need patience and we are working to find the best player at the right price.
"Sometimes we can't say no to a proposal. How can we say no if we sell one and can buy three. But Ruben is an important player for us. If a proposal comes for the right price - for now nothing has come. He is an important player for me."
Despite Lage's previous insistence over Neves's valuation, it has been reported that Wolves may be prepared to do business in the region of £50m.
As it stands, Wolves have made just one first-team addition this summer with defender Nathan Collins joining from Burnley. body check tags ::
