WANDERERS could pounce to sign Leicester City striker Jeffrey Schlupp if his proposed move to Manchester United breaks down.

The 20-year-old has had a one-month trial at Old Trafford, but talk of a £1.5million deal at the end of the season has now stalled.

That has alerted Whites boss Dougie Freedman, a big fan of the versatile left-sided front man, who wants to add pace to his front line before the loan window closes at the end of the month.

Sources in the East Midlands suggest that Leicester would need some convincing to allow Schlupp to leave for one of their play-off rivals, particularly as left-back Paul Konchesky has now been ruled out for the foreseeable future.

Schlupp can fill in as an emergency full-back – as he did against Wanderers earlier this season – and could potentially return to the King Power Stadium in the short term while a replacement is sought.

It is thought that the German-born Ghana international has set his sights on the Premier League, and if he fails to make a big move to United, he would be open to a switch to an upwardly mobile club such as Wanderers, who still hope to be playing in the top flight next season.

The youngster has played two games for the Reds’ development squad, against Liverpool and West Ham, and has been training with Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-team squad for more than a month.

He came through the youth ranks at Leicester and was given his debut by Sven-Goran Eriksson, making 23 of his 35 appearances for the Foxes from the bench.

Schlupp signed a new deal last year to take him up to 2015 but has also been loaned out to Brentford, where he scored six goals in 10 games.

Freedman has publicly stated that he wants two loan signings before the end of the month to bolster his play-off push and had made a central midfielder his number one priority after Mark Davies was ruled out for several months.

And there had been strong indications after Tuesday night’s victory over Blackburn Rovers that Wanderers could have someone new on board by the time they face Brighton tomorrow.

There are also hints on the back of interest in Schlupp that a striker and a winger could be considered more of a pressing concern.