Even though the Norwegian striker was omitted from Pereira’s squad, the Wolves boss sounded upbeat when questioned if he expected Strand Larsen to remain at Molineux after the deadline.

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He told Sky Sports: “I hope so. He is a key player. If he featured today, his ability could add something different. We are not in a position to let our top players leave.

With the summer market shutting on Monday at 7pm, any club losing a vital figure now would have minimal time to secure an adequate successor.

That’s especially the case for Wolves, who have already seen Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri depart this summer, two of their standout contributors from last campaign.

For Newcastle, attacking depth is still an issue with Alexander Isak’s absence continuing to hit their scoring output. Howe’s men have drawn blanks in two of their first three league fixtures.

Should Strand Larsen seal a late switch to Tyneside, despite Wolves’ stance that he is staying, the forward could line up against his current side straight away, as Newcastle meet Wolves at St James’ Park next weekend.