Wolverhampton Wanderers are seemingly in the race to sign World Cup star Azzedine Ounahi in the January transfer window and the Angers SCO midfielder could prove to be the next Romain Saiss at Molineux.

According to 90min, the 22-year-old has been scouted by several Premier League clubs, including the Old Gold, Newcastle United, Southampton and West Ham United, who all will have been impressed with the young midfielder's recent displays in Qatar.

However, with the Moroccan contracted at the Stade Raymond Kopa until 2026, the Ligue 1 side are in a strong position financially, which is reflected in their reported asking price of £39m.

Ounahi was a mainstay in Morocco's midfield as they sensationally reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, becoming the first African nation to ever do so, as they earned historic wins against Belgium, Spain and Portugal before their 2-0 defeat against France in the final four.

The all-action midfielder would earn a strong 6.72 rating from WhoScored for his performances in Qatar, while he was ranked third from the Atlas Lions' squad in terms of key passes and dribbles per game, which emphasises that he loves to get forward and influence things in the final third.

Jose Mourinho was certainly impressed with what he saw from Ounahi in Qatar, as he sang his praises after the 1-0 win over Portugal in the quarter-final.

He said:

"Their No.8, the young boy that plays in France in Angers, Ounahi was absolutely incredible."

Wolves may well look towards the young titan's international teammate and captain Romain Saiss as good reason for bringing the Angers man to Molineux next month.

Saiss would join the Old Gold, initially as a defensive-midfielder player in 2016, coincidentally also from the Ligue 1 side, and would go on to make 206 appearances for the Midlands club, contributing 15 goals and three assists.

He would be transformed into a centre-back under Bruno Lage, earning the nickname 'Moroccan Maldini' and he was a key part in Wolves' strong defensive record last season, which has become even more evident in the Old Gold's less-than-impressive defence this season, following his move to Besiktas.

If Ounahi can have the same sort of impact as Saiss at Molineux, after completing a very similar transfer, then it would surely be a great deal for Julen Lopetegui and Jeff Shi to complete in January.