Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly attempting to strengthen their defensive options with the signing of a France Under-18 international.

Earlier in the summer transfer window, the West Midlands outfit cashed in on Max Kilman with the club captain joining West Ham United in a £40m deal.

As it stands, though, Gary O'Neil has stopped short of directly replacing him, instead reintegrating recent Villarreal loanee Yerson Mosquera back into the first-team squad.

The Colombia international joins Toti Gomes, Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson in challenging for a spot in the backline, whether that be as a three or four.

However, Wolves are continuing to scour the market for value for both the present and future, and it appears that they are eager to add a prospect to their ranks.

Wolves pushing for Meupiyou

According to Ouest-France, Wolves are attempting to secure the signature of Nantes defender Bastien Meupiyou.

The 18-year-old has made just one outing in Ligue 1, that ending in disaster with a ninth-minute sending off against Marseille at the start of last season.

A serious knee injury would then keep him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, yet high hopes remain for a player who is a familiar face at international level with France.

Meupiyou made 14 appearances for France Under-17s, including featuring at the World Cup last year, while he currently has three caps for the Under-18s.

As it stands, Meupiyou staying a part of Nantes' first-team squad is their preference, yet the situation could soon change with less than 12 months remaining on his contract.

Wolves to call on a familiar friend?

Wolves are said to have failed with two bids, the latest being in the region of €4m (£3.4m), with Nantes allegedly demanding €10m (£8.6m) as per L'Equipe.

A compromise may plausibly be reached at some stage, while Wolves will no doubt be encouraged that Meupiyou has recently linked up with Jorge Mendes's Gestifute agency.

Although Fosun International do not work with Mendes as much as in the past, the association with Meupiyou cannot do their efforts to sign him any harm.

The player's lack of experience may lead to him only being viewed as a backup option should he arrive at Molineux, with O'Neil realistically still wanting to add another senior head to his defence before the end of the transfer window. body check tags ::