Since the idea is to save the patient from degenerative disease, recovering non-autonomous functions might not be a requirement - he only need a healthy body for now. It's still hard, but more feasible I guess.

That's presumably one of the issues that the funding from the called-upon world's billionaires is supposed to fix, you would think.

If someone knew how to solve nerve connection/regeneration with $20 million of funding, they wouldn't be asking for funds to do a body transplant.

I guess that depends if they eventually figure out how to fully connect the nerve endings in the spine.

That would be a far more valuable and practical medical breakthrough than full head transplants, at least in the immediate future.