Wanderers’ transfer plans have been put on hold after Bolton shelved a potential deal to sign Australian midfielder Keanu Baccus.
According to reports from the Daily Record north of the border, the St Mirren man was on the verge of signing for Wanderers after completing his medical and agreeing personal terms, with only a work permit holding the deal up.
However, The Bolton News has since revealed that Bolton are no longer vying for Baccus’s signature,
Bolton face competition in race to sign Keanu Baccus
It’s been a largely successful start to the transfer window for Ian Evatt’s Wanderers as they’ve been able to add four new signings to the squad ahead of the coming League One campaign.
But it’s not all been plain sailing as Bolton have hit several stumbling blocks with some of their ongoing bids.
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South African-born Australian international Keanu Baccus looked set to sign ahead of Wanderers’ pre-season training camp in Portugal in a reported £275,000 move, but the deal has faced delays thanks to work permit complications.
However, it has since been reported by The Bolton News that a rival bid from an unnamed Championship club has emerged for the 25-year-old that could potentially throw a spanner in the works of what had appeared to be a done deal.
The transfer saga has now faced another twist as Bolton have pulled out of the deal altogether with reports that the midfielder has suffered a flare-up of an injury first picked up last season.
Keanu Baccus began his professional career in 2016 with Western Sydney Wanderers and he would go on to play over 100 games for the Australian outfit before making the switch to St Mirren in 2022.
Baccus has been capped seven times by the Australian national team, appearing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and recently featuring in a friendly against Argentina where he went toe-to-toe with Lionel Messi.
Bolton’s transfer dealings this summer
Bolton began their business in the transfer window quickly, snapping up two goalkeepers in Nathan Baxter and Joel Coleman following the departures of James Trafford and Joel Dixon.
The Whites followed that up with the arrival of wing-back Josh Dacres-Cogley from League Two side Tranmere Rovers and had been expected to add fellow full-back Kane Wilson to the ranks.
However, the deal for Wilson has reportedly been shelved after a breakdown in negotiations between Bolton and Bristol City.
Wanderers had supposedly been linked with a loan move for German midfielder Florian Flick according to reports on the continent, but the Schalke youngster was reportedly never on Ian Evatt’s radar.
Dan Nlundulu became Bolton’s fourth summer signing over the weekend as the attacker completed a permanent move following last season’s loan spell.
Arguably the biggest signing of the summer so far, however, is Kyle Dempsey as the midfielder has signed a new three-year deal that will keep him at Bolton until 2026.
The 27-year-old had a rocky start to his Wanderers career due to picking up an injury not long after signing but he has since become a key part of Ian Evatt’s side and scored the vital opening goal in the Papa John’s Trophy final.