Wolverhampton Wanderers' summer was marked by considerable levels of upheaval at Molineux, Julen Lopetegui leaving the club after a short stay in England whilst key first-teamers such as Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins all followed suit out of the building to Manchester City, Al-Hilal and Brentford, respectively.

It's left new boss Gary O'Neil with a tough old job to come into, many predicting Wolves to suffer even more on the pitch with relegation fancied by neutrals and Wolves fans alike.

But, at this present moment in time, the West Midlands-based outfit are performing above all expectation – occupying a commendable 12th spot in the Premier League so far, recent wins include a 2-1 victory over the team who sacked O'Neil in the summer in AFC Bournemouth and a smash-and-grab Molineux win over champions, Man City by the same scoreline.

Even with these promising results to kickstart the season, Wolves will be looking to strengthen their still depleted squad when January comes along – one potential signing in the form of Facundo Pellistri could be on the cards even on just a loan basis.

Are Wolves interested in signing Facundo Pellistri?

As reported by LR Uruguay – via Fabian Bertolini – and further on Molineux News, Wolves were interested in snapping up the Manchester United talent on loan this summer with the Red Devils wanting their young £20k-per-week gem to get more game time away from Old Trafford.

Luton, Burnley and Bournemouth all put their hat into the ring to potentially sign Pellistri also – as per the report above – but a move wasn't forthcoming in the summer.

Could Wolves reignite their interest in the Uruguayan when the transfer window reopens at the start of 2024?

Impressive in spurts for Man United – Pellistri making 16 appearances to date for the Red Devils, including six in the Premier League this season – Wolves' squad would be significantly boosted with this potential addition.

How good is Facundo Pellistri?

Signing for the Red Devils in the summer of 2020, featuring for Peñarol previously in his birthplace of Montevideo, the 21-year-old is highly thought of in Man United quarters.

Scoring three times for the Man United U21's in nine matches after initially moving to England, the Uruguayan midfielder has managed to gradually work his way into Erik Ten Hag's first team plans recently – one beneficiary of the recent up-and-down form experienced by Ten Hag's men, given opportunities to the likes of Pellistri ahead of underperformers.

Labelled as "scintillating" after a brief but impactful spell in a Europa League last-16 tie against Real Betis last season by football journalist Alex Turk – Pellistri having a part to play in Wout Weghorst's game-clinching fourth goal in a 4-1 win – the youngster has also further excelled in Cup competitions this year too.

The Uruguayan's work rate in a recent EFL Cup win versus Crystal Palace was highlighted as a major positive by football pundit Danny Webber, praising the collective "full-throttle" approach of the much-changed eleven fielded by ten Hag which saw Pellistri play the full 90 minutes.

Wolves could well look to Pellistri as a potential upgrade on Pablo Sarabia, the silky Spanish midfielder for the Old Gold is now 31 and his minutes in the first team have been cut under O'Neil's management – having started just two league games this season.

The former Paris Saint-Germain ace clearly has quality, with four assists to his name in all competitions to date in 2023/24, although three of those came in the League Cup clash with lower league side, Blackpool, having subsequently been "anonymous" against Premier League opposition – according to journalist Alex Richards.

If O'Neil and co do swoop in for the young Man United star again, Wolves would have an explosive and direct talent on their books who could usurp Sarabia's place in the squad, with the experienced asset just not cutting it at present.

If Pellistri were to impress, he could find himself knocking on the door for even more first-team opportunities at Old Trafford in the near future, or potentially move to cement a permanent stay at Molineux.