Wolves have signed Belgium international Leander Dendoncker from Anderlecht on an initial season-long loan deal, with a permanent move to Molineux to be completed in 2019 for a fee in the region of £12 million ($15m).
The 23-year-old, who can play in defence or midfield, becomes the sixth signing for manager Nuno Espirito Santo as the newly-promoted Premier League club look to preserve their freshly earned top-flight status across the coming campaign.
Dendoncker, a product of the Anderlecht youth system, made 190 senior appearances for the club and was a member of the Belgium squad that secured a third-place finish at the World Cup in Russia earlier this year.
The capture of his signature by Wolves represents the latest in a line of impressive coups for the club during the current transfer window, with the Manchester United-linked player joining Portugal keeper Rui Patricio and Mexico forward Raul Jimenez as new faces in the West Midlands.
Last season, Wolves romped to the Championship title, beating out second-place Cardiff City by nine points to secure a return to the top-tier of English football for the first time in six years.
They have retained the core of their central squad too, with only a handful of permanent departures from the club, and Dendoncker represents the latest – and likely final – capture of a productive off-season.
After making his debut for Anderlecht in 2013, he featured for the club in both Champions League and European campaigns. Domestically, he helped them to a pair of Belgian Super Cups and the First Division title in 2016-17.
On the international stage, he made his debut for Belgium in 2015 against France, and has subsequently won six caps to date, including one at the World Cup against England in the pair’s Group G encounter.
Wolves start their Premier League campaign on August 11 when they face Everton at home before travelling to Leicester City a week later on August 18.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)