Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly identified Queens Park Rangers head coach Michael Beale as their preferred replacement for Bruno Lage.

The Premier League outfit, who currently sit in 17th position in the Premier League table, have been without a permanent boss since Lage's departure on October 2.

Since then, Under-18s boss Steve Davis has been in temporary charge, recording a win over Nottingham Forest between defeats at Chelsea and Crystal Palace respectively.

Having been turned down by Julen Lopetegui, Wolves have taken their time to assess alternatives, and it has been widely reported that former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and ex-Lyon manager Peter Bosz have been in the running.

However, Wolves have also been linked with Beale for a number of days, and The Athletic now reports that the West Midlands outfit are planning to make a formal approach.

Since his arrival in the summer, the former Aston Villa assistant has guided QPR to 24 points from 14 matches in the Championship, with victory over Cardiff City on Wednesday evening potentially taking the Hoops to the top of the table.

As it stands, however, there is considerable uncertainty over whether Beale will be in the dugout for that fixture, despite the report stating that there has been no contact between the relevant parties.

Beale addressed the situation at a press conference earlier this week, revealing that he had already held what he describes as a "really honest" conversation with director of football Les Ferdinand.

The 42-year-old said: "I had a really honest face to face conversation with Les Ferdinand on Monday. The club has had no contact, I have had no direct contact either. It is the media writing the stories.

"It is my first job at QPR and I couldn't be happier with the way it is going with the owners, staff and players. And I am in a great place in my personal life with my family as well.

"The outside noise is not that important and the only thing I can draw from it is that as a club we must be doing quite well."

However, Beale also added that he has "huge aspirations" as a head coach, and it is reported that Wolves will now look to activate a release clause in his contract.

Fosun International, Wolves' owners, are said to view a potential appointment as "progressive" and "exciting".