Wolverhampton Wanderers are plotting a move to bring Renato Sanches to Molineux in the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to John Percy's recent report for The Telegraph, with the journalist revealing that Bruno Lage and Jeff Shi are planning to revive their summer interest in the LOSC Lille midfielder this winter.

Percy goes on to claim that Wolves are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 24-year-old ahead of a potential January swoop, with Lage keen to bring in reinforcements to bolster his options in the middle of the park for the second half of the campaign.

He'd solve Wolves' biggest issue

Following the departure of Morgan Gibbs-White on a season-long loan deal this summer, it was clear for all to see that Wolves were desperately lacking in a more attacking option in central midfield, with none of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho or Leander Dendoncker being particularly forward-thinking on the pitch.

Rather predictably, this has caused Lage something of a problem so far this season, as the 45-year-old manager has been heavily reliant on his forwards for both creativity and goals - with only 16% of Wolves' six Premier League assists coming from midfield, while just 9% of the club's 11 league goals have come from the middle of the park.

As such, it would certainly appear advisable for Shi to bring in a more attack-minded central midfielder this winter, with Renato Sanches looking to be a very attractive option.

While the Portugal international has suffered from a series of niggling injuries since his £18m move to Lille back in the summer of 2019, the 24-year-old's returns in Ligue 1 would nevertheless suggest he could well be the creative spark Wolves are crying out for.

Indeed, over his 19 Ligue 1 appearances in 2019/20, the £27m-rated man scored three goals, registered one assist and created five big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06.

Over his 23 appearances in the following campaign, Sanches once again impressed, scoring one goal, providing three assists and once more creating five big chances for his teammates, metrics that saw the former Bayern Munich man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.90.

And, despite having failed to find the back of the net or register an assist over his five Ligue 1 appearances this season, the £51k-per-week man has made an average of 1.5 key passes per game - a statistic that would rank him top of the Wolves' midfielder charts.

As such, it would seem a very wise move indeed for Shi to once again pursue a deal for the man who Mats Hummels dubbed an "irresistible" talent this winter, as Sanches could well be the answer to Lage's midfield.

In other news: Lage could save Wolves millions with "authoritative" £14k-p/w beast, he's Coady's heir