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Wolves want to be in Premier League elite, says managing director Laurie Dalrymple

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Wolves have ambitions to break into English football's elite, according to managing director Laurie Dalrymple

Wolves managing director Laurie Dalrymple is not simply content with being in the Premier League, he wants the club to be among the elite in English football.

Wolves had their return to the top flight after a six-year absence confirmed on Saturday after Fulham were held to a 1-1 draw with Brentford.

The club need just one more point to be crowned Championship champions after they beat Birmingham 2-0 on Sunday.

One of their stars of the season, Diogo Jota, scored his 17th goal of the campaign, and Dalrymple is adamant Wolves will not be looking to sell their best players as they look to make an immediate impression in the top division.

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"There is no pressure whatsoever [to sell]," Dalrymple told Sky Sports News. "We are building a club and a team for the future so it would be somewhat undermining to that strategy if we then let our prize assets walk out the door within ten minutes of achieving the first phase of this project.

"We are fully aware that promotion into the Premier League was a major part of where we want to take this club.

"But this is not the end. Promotion was not the end-game. We want to compete for a long time and position ourselves within the elite in English football.

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Highlights of Wolves' 2-0 win against Birmingham in the Sky Bet Championship

"In order to do that we have to build a squad and a club that is capable to do that so we want to bring the very best people into this group and keep them."

Wolves' Chinese owners have spent heavily this season to help the club achieve promotion, although their player recruitment has been questioned by other Championship clubs.

Last month, Sky Sports News saw extracts of a letter from Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani to the EFL and the FA demanding clarification of the working relationship between Wolves and agent Jorge Mendes.

Football agent Jorge Mendes takes a photo during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City at Molineux on April 15, 2018
Image: Agent Jorge Mendes is good friends with the Wolves owners

Mendes represents, among others in the Wolves squad, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Ivan Cavaleiro, but Dalrymple is confident they have done nothing wrong and is ready to speak to Premier League officials about Mendes.

"He is a close friend of chairman and a friend of the owner," Mendes said. "He is someone that they got advice from when they bought the club.

"We utilise a number of different agents and sources and will continue to do that.

"I will gladly have that communication channel with the Premier League as and when that arises. I am aware of the fact that we will be talking to them in the very near future and we don't have any problem with that.

"We don't believe, and I don't believe the authorities believe, that we have stepped outside the rules."

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