Wolves set to break Irish transfer record to sign Nathan Collins

Collins is on the verge of a swift return to the Premier League.

Nathan Collins is close to signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to multiple reports. Wolves will pay Burnley a reported £20.5m (€24m) for the Republic of Ireland defender, a transfer fee which will make Collins the most expensive Irish player ever.

Nathan Collins: Wolves set to sign Irish defender for record transfer fee.

Wolves are in 'advanced talks' with Burnley about signing Collins and are close to agreeing on a deal, according to The Telegraph, Collins will become the Premier League side's first signing of the summer and will join up with Bruno Lage's team ahead of the new campaign. Wolves finished 10th in the English top-flight last season. The 21-year-old will also become the most Irish player in history, eclipsing the £19m Liverpool paid Tottenham Hotspur for Robbie Keane in 2008. https://twitter.com/JPercyTelegraph/status/1546521770064314369

Nathan Collins' career so far.

Collins started his career in England with Stoke City after joining the club from Dublin side Cherry Orchard in 2016. The Leixlip-native made his debut for Stoke in 2019 and went on to play 49 times for the club. Collins also became Stoke's youngest-ever captain. The defender then joined Burnley in 2021 for £12m (€14.2m) and played 22 times for the Clarets. Collins was one of the team's standout players last season, but couldn't prevent them from suffering relegation from the Premier League. At international level, Collins has earned six caps and has established himself as a regular in the Ireland team since making his debut against Qatar last October. He scored a wonder goal for Stephen Kenny's team against Ukraine in June. The 21-year-old's performances at club and international level caught the eye of several Premier League clubs, including Leicester City, Aston Villa and Leeds United. Wolves, however, appear to have won the race to sign the talented defender. Related links.

• Nathan Collins stuns Ukraine with goal sweeter than Michael Obafemi's.
• ‘That’s the one that really hurt me’ – Robbie Keane on the final straw for him at Liverpool.
• Burnley name their price for Nathan Collins with two Premier League clubs interested.