Wolves owners' relationship with super-agent Mendes cleared by EFL

Jorge Mendes' business relationship with Wolverhampton Wanderers' ownership group Fosun International has been approved by the English Football League (EFL).

The EFL said Mendes "holds no role at the club."

Several players represented by Mendes' agency Gestifute have joined Wolves since Fosun took over in 2016, including Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Helder Costa, and Ivan Cavaleiro - all of whom have played key roles in their recent promotion to the Premier League as second-tier champions.

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Gestifute's partnership with Fosun led several Championship rivals to suggest that Mendes was prioritising transfers to Wolves for his clients. Those who called for an investigation into the Fosun-Mendes link are believed to include Aston Villa and Leeds United, with the owner of the latter outfit complaining about the arrangement after a 3-0 home loss to Wolves in March:

Premier League clubs had also expressed reservations over the supposedly shady agreement between Fosun and Mendes earlier this month, according to The Telegraph's Ben Rumsby, when Wolves were on the verge of joining England's elite.

"At that meeting (with Wolves), a request for information was made by the EFL and following a comprehensive review of the detail subsequently provided by the club, it has been determined that Mr. Mendes holds no role at the club and, as such should not be categorised as a 'Relevant Person' as defined by League regulations," the EFL's statement read. "On this basis there is no requirement for him to submit to the Owners' and Directors' Test."

Mendes represents some of the leading names in football - including Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho - and another one of his clients, AC Milan forward Andre Silva, has been heavily linked with a switch to the Black Country. The Mirror speculated in March that Wolves would compete with Arsenal, Monaco, and Valencia for the Portuguese's signature.