Wolves reject offer for Hwang Hee-chan with hours left on transfer clock: Reports

Hwang Hee-chan appears as an unused substitute as Wolverhampton Wanderers take on Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly turned down a £17 million ($20 million) offer for Hwang Hee-chan on Wednesday, likely ensuring the struggling Korean midfielder stays with the club for foreseeable future with just a few hours left until the transfer window closes.

Hwang, who was on loan with Wolves last season, signed a four-year contract with the club in January that officially went into effect this summer, said to be valued at between £11.9 million and £14 million ($19 million and $22 million).

But Hwang has also been struggling in front of goal with the midlands club. He has failed to score for Wolves for 18 games, 17 in the Premier League. He last found the back of the net on Feb. 24, scoring his fifth goal of his debut Premier League season against Arsenal.

Hwang's ongoing struggle has seen him gradually slip from starting XI to the back of the bench, with manager Bruno Lage not even calling on the Korean as a substitute during Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Bournemouth.

Hwang appeared as a potential transfer candidate in the weeks since the 2022-23 season kicked off, with a number of clubs looking at the midfielder as potentially underutilized with Wolves.

One contender was Leeds United under manager Jesse Marsch. Marsch was appointed as manager of Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, leading the team to win the double in his first season. Hwang was one of the three stars of Marsch's attacking line, alongside Erling Haaland, now at Manchester City, and Takumi Minamino of Monaco.

Hwang scored 11 goals in the Austrian Bundesliga that season and picked up 12 assists. He also scored three Champions League goals with five assists, an OFB Cup goal with five assists and a Europa League goal.

Leeds reportedly offered Wolves £17 million earlier this week in a bid to bring Hwang back under Marsch's leadership and potentially bring back some of that 2019 form.

But despite Hwang's recent performance, Wolves apparently were not happy to let the Korean midfielder go.

"He's an important player for me and the club," Lage told reporters after the draw on Wednesday. "What he did in the first half of last season was very good. He didn't start the pre-season as he was in the military. After he came and had a small injury and was out of training for around two weeks."

If Lage is to be believed, it looks like Wolves are looking to invest a bit more time into breaking Hwang out of his slump. But some reports suggest there are more economical reasons that Wolves rejected the deal — possibly because Leeds were looking a loan-to-buy deal and Wolves want an immediate sale.

With 16 hours still remaining on the transfer clock as of press time, anything can still happen. Marsch has repeatedly made it clear that Leeds are still interested, and Everton are also said to be eyeing Hwang as a possible option to boost the club's lackluster offense.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]