Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - May 1, 2022, Sporting CP's Matheus Nunes during the warm up.
Manchester City are eyeing a move to sign Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to a Portuguese report.
The Lowdown: Silva’s exit looming
It’s recently been widely reported that Bernardo Silva could be heading for the exit door at the Etihad amid interest from Barcelona, meaning that Pep Guardiola is understandably looking for replacements in case a deal comes to fruition.
The 23-year-old Nunes has already been linked with a switch to the Premier League, with Sporting having an agreement in place with Wolves earlier in the window, though the player turned this down as a result of having bigger aspirations.
Ambition doesn’t come much bigger than joining the Blues, and following a fresh update, there’s a chance that it could happen one day in the near future.
The Latest: Man City eyeing Nunes
Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness) report that whilst Nunes is ‘ready to stay’ at Sporting for this season, City ‘remain a possibility’.
The source states that Guardiola is an admirer of the player and ‘continues to be attentive and pleased’ with his performances.
It’s claimed that ‘no one could be surprised’ if the top-flight champions target Nunes as a successor for Silva, and that if they show up with the €40m (£33.7m) that Wolves did, it would be ‘nearly certain’ that he would make the move.
The Verdict: Next up after Gomez?
Man City are currently closing in on a deal to sign Sergio Gomez from Anderlecht, and Nunes could soon be following in his footsteps.
The eight-cap international, dubbed an ‘unbelievable’ player by former teammate Goncalo Santos, averaged 1.3 tackles and 2.5 successful dribbles per league game for Sporting last season, via WhoScored.
Would Nunes be a good signing for Man City?
Yes
No
These qualities are similar to Silva’s in the sense that he likes to win the ball back in midfield before moving up the pitch to create opportunities in the final third, making him an ideal addition to Guardiola’s squad.
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