Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to be eyeing a move for Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the New Year, with the Englishman currently facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford.

According to 90min, Julen Lopetegui's side have 'made a move' to bring the 25-year-old to Molineux on loan in the January transfer window, with the full-back believed to be in line for an exit next month.

The report suggests that, despite rival interest from fellow Premier League clubs Crystal Palace, Leeds United and West Ham United, it is the Old Gold who are currently 'leading the chase' for Wan-Bissaka at present as Lopetegui looks to strengthen his right-back options.

90min added that a temporary move with the option of a permanent deal included could well be a possibility for Wolves, with the former Selhurst Park star - who was signed by United for £50m in 2019 - having featured only twice under Erik ten Hag this season.

Despite that lack of action, the Croydon-born "monster" - as lauded by journalist Aaron West - did show glimpses of his quality during the Red Devils' win over Burnley in the Carabao Cup in midweek, having teed up Christian Eriksen with a brilliant sliding assist.

Although goal contributions have been hard to come by for the £90k-per-week defender - with only 13 to his name during his time at Old Trafford - Wan-Bissaka has typically offered plenty of quality defensively, having even been dubbed the "best one-on-one defender for a full-back in the world" by Jamie Carragher in 2020.

The hope would be that the former Eagles ace can get back to that level if he were to join Wolves, with the 6 foot titan having already shown some signs of life as he ranks in the top 1% in Europe's major leagues for interceptions made and the top 3% for tackles made among those in his position in 2022.

Bringing Wan-Bissaka into the fold could see Wolves look to replicate a previous transfer masterclass, namely the signing of the now-retired Denis Irwin, with the reliable Irishman having joined the Old Gold from United back in the summer of 2002.

After a lengthy and glittering stint with the Manchester outfit - during which the 56-cap defender won seven Premier League titles - the versatile full-back was snapped up by Dave Jones in order to provide some quality and experience to the then-second tier outfit, in the hope of securing promotion to the top flight.

Despite being 36 at the time of his arrival at Molineux, Irwin quashed any doubts about his fitness and his hunger to succeed in the twilight of his career by proving instrumental in that promotion push, featuring in 48 games in all competitions in that 2002/03 season as Wolves made it into the Premier League for the first time.

The Cork native also started 32 top-flight games the following season before subsequently calling time on his illustrious career at the end of that campaign, with the "phenomenal" ace - as described by former team-mate Alex Rae - having certainly made his mark at Molineux during that two-year spell.

Just like Irwin was influential in clinching promotion to the top flight, Wan-Bissaka could well prove crucial for the current Wolves crop in avoiding a return to the second tier if he makes the same move that the Irishman did 20 years ago.