Wolves boss Gary O'Neil insists star attacker Matheus Cunha will remain at the club this season despite interest from Manchester United.
Having impressed during an initial loan stint at the club, Cunha joined Wolves on a permanent basis in the summer of 2023 and has gone from strength to strength since then.
A brace against Fulham last weekend continued his rich vein of form, with the Brazilian registering five goals and three assists in his last seven Premier League games – although he was unable to make an impact in the 4-2 home loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.
But given Cunha's outstanding form over the last 18 months in particular, a potential switch to Manchester United has been mooted for a player who currently has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.
New Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim is currently assessing all his attacking options, given United's struggles in front of goal both last season and through 12 games of the current campaign.
However, O'Neil is confident that the club will rebuff any bids for the striker in January as they look to put further distance between themselves and the bottom three.
"Matheus definitely won't leave in January," O'Neil said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Bournemouth game.
"Our relationship and his understanding of what we're trying to do here is exceptionally good, so I don't foresee there being any problems at all in January with Matheus Cunha."
Asked about Cunha's marked improvement since his arrival as coach at Molineux, O'Neil added: "He's worked very hard and he's a really humble guy.
"When I first came, he was big enough and open enough to accept the gaps that he had in his game, and then he's just gone head-on into trying to tackle them and trying to piece the bits together.
"The most important bit in any footballer is quality, and that's the bit he has in abundance.
"All the other stuff you can work on with him, around positioning and mentality to defend and get back under the ball – all that is workable.
"What you can't help players with is the quality that they have and the understanding that they have, and Matheus is top level at that.
"We love having him here, he's an exceptional player, he's incredibly important to the group and to the football club, and I look forward to working with him for as long as possible."
Meanwhile, United believe they've pulled off a masterstroke with a player new boss Ruben Amorim has already claimed is the future of the club.
The Red Devils splashed the cash again last summer, forking out around £180m on five new recruits. One of those in particular has made a superb start to life at Old Trafford – Noussair Mazraoui.
And according to a fresh update from Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, United believe they've taken Bayern Munich for a ride with Mazraoui's signing.
