Wolverhampton Wanderers are desperate for additions this month. That's hardly a secret.

But unlocking the door to the January transfer window is something that the club have been longing for, for quite some time.

Those that hold the key are most notably manager Nuno Santo, sporting director Kevin Thelwell and the ownership group Fosun, although whether they have the right solution is dependant on so many more factors out of their control.

That said, the Portuguese boss has made it clear he would like to bolster his squad while The Athletic's Tim Spiers believes they expect to sign two attack-minded players in the next few weeks.

One player they have been linked to this week, who isn't a forward of sorts, is Birmingham City starlet Jude Bellingham, according to Alan Nixon of The Sun.

At the age of just 16, he has become a regular in the Championship under Pep Clotet, featuring 23 times where he has scored three goals and assisted one more from midfield, per Transfermarkt.

Signing him would certainly go against the usual principles of how the club operates their transfer business as they often try to find a bargain from a foreign league in Portugal or France, or use the services of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Although, if there's any player to break that trend then it has to be this talent teenager, especially as he will firstly meet the long-term ambitions of the ownership and secondly is a level above Wolves' current third choice central midfielder, one of their own, Morgan Gibbs-White.

When comparing Bellingham's current season to Gibbs-White last season - it's fairer to take that as a sample as the 19-year-old has missed the bulk of this season through injury - it's clear to see there's only one winner.

The Birmingham City prospect is a level above. Per WhoScored, he averages more way more tackles (2.2), interceptions (1.1), shots (1.1) and even dribbles (1) per game.

Bellingham has also been likened to Dele Alli by current teammate Dan Crowley, who came through the system at Arsenal, so he definitely knows a young talent when he sees one. He said:

"I’ve been at Arsenal and seen what you have got to be like to play there. Jude’s got that chance. I used to play with and against Dele Alli and he reminds me of Dele. He’s smart and the fact he has so much to learn and playing like that it felt just like Dele. Dele progressed in the league and I think Jude can be up there. Dele is quite tall and so is Jude. Dele with the ball at his feet is really good. I’ve not seen a young lad who is so tall and big so good with his feet.”

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Manchester United are said to have put a bid of just £12.5m in for him this month (according to the Mirror) so if he's available for anything near that, then Wolves must follow suit.

Gibbs-White has played 64 times for the club and only managed one goal, which is indicative of his unsuitability to Nuno's system. The 16-year-old can add something much better to that central midfield position than their own homegrown talent.

Meanwhile, Tim Spiers has provided an update on Nuno Santo's transfer plans this month...