Wolves on brink of completing Hunt capture

Wolves were today closing in on Hull winger Stephen Hunt as their first signing of the decade.

The Tigers are understood to be nearing agreement on Wolves' £3m bid to free up funds to help attract new signings in the January window.

Sources say Hunt, 28, wants to move to Molineux and believe the deal could even be completed today. But Hull are still to accept Wolves' second offer, which matches what they paid Reading in the summer.

Either way, Wolves hope to complete their first piece of transfer business at a maximum of £3.5m for the Republic of Ireland international, even though the negotiations may drag on for a few days.

Should the Hunt deal fall through at this late stage, Tottenham's Jamie O'Hara could be an option - although not on loan.

O'Hara may cost less than Hunt and Spurs are understood to be willing to sell, although the issue is complicated by Premier League rules which prevent a player from representing three clubs in a season. The 23-year-old has played for Tottenham and Portsmouth since August.

Wolves' only hope of signing him on loan would be to persuade FIFA that O'Hara's spell at Pompey can't continue as they are under a transfer embargo.

His spell at Fratton Park expires on Friday.

Wolves' patience on striker Jermaine Beckford could yet pay off. Leeds are holding out for a fee of between £1.8m and £2m and Newcastle's latest offer of £1.5m is said to be their third and final bid