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The transfer window is fast approaching its conclusion this summer, but with just over a week to go, Wolverhampton Wanderers look to be at risk of losing their star midfielder Matheus Nunes. The Portuguese international is reportedly a target for Premier League champions Manchester City.
Football FanCast has taken a look at the player, his potential transfer and what’s going on at Wolves this summer.
Who is Matheus Nunes?
Matheus Nunes’ age is 24, having been born on August 27th, 1998, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, his family moved to the Portuguese town of Ericeira, near Lisbon, when he was 12 years old. This is why he holds Portuguese citizenship and has represented the European country 11 times at senior level, scoring one goal.
The 6 foot tall midfielder began his career at Ericeirense in 2016 before he moved to top flight outfit Estoril in 2018. Here he would make just six league appearances before being signed by Portuguese giants Sporting CP for just €500,000.
During his time with the Leoes, Nunes would make 76 league appearances, score eight goals, provide five assists and win one league title. This excellent form would earn him a move to Wolves in the summer of 2022 for a fee reported to be £42m.
In the West Midlands, the 24-year-old’s salary is around £85,000-a-week, or £4,420,000-a-year. This is the second-highest pay packet at the club, behind only Pablo Sarabia and Goncalo Guedes, who both make £90,000-a-week.
Matheus Nunes’ position on the field varies, as he’s played at the heart of the midfield, in a central position, a central attacking position, on the left of midfield and the right of midfield, so his versatility is there for all to see.
What is the latest Matheus Nunes transfer news?
Transfers expert Fabrizio Romano reported late on August 23rd that treble winner Manchester City had submitted an offer to Wolves for Nunes, though to be worth around €50m (£43m) with add-ons. Romano also confirmed that the Portuguese international had “accepted City” as his new club, with personal terms having already been agreed.
However, in the hours since, it has been widely reported that the Old Gold have rejected the proposal from their Premier League competitors. BBC Sport has claimed that the rejected deal was worth around £47m, which would have represented a profit for the cash-strapped club.
Why do Man City want Matheus Nunes?
On the surface, it might seem odd that the all-conquering, treble-winning, record-breaking City want to sign Nunes, who, for all his quality, has potentially underwhelmed ever so slightly during his first year at Molineux.
However, with the long-term injury to Kevin De Bruyne and a deal for Lucas Paqueta looking unlikely in light of recent developments coupled with West Ham United’s demands, a move for the 24-year-old suddenly looks much more astute.
While the direct comparison to the Belgian doesn’t quite work due to the pair taking up different positions on the pitch, Nunes would at least add another body to Pep Guardiola’s midfield, and a quality one at that.
Journalist Alex Crook told TalkSport (via The Boot Room) that the interest in Nunes likely spells the end for Kalvin Philips, saying:
“The fact that City are looking for extra midfield cover suggests that Pep Guardiola is now coming around to the idea of letting [Kalvin] Phillips go out, maybe even on loan.”
Are Liverpool interested in Matheus Nunes?
City aren’t the only ‘big six’ club to express genuine interest in the Rio-born gem since his arrival last summer, as Liverpool were said to hold a genuine interest in him in January this year.
According to Sky Sports News, the Reds were ‘monitoring’ the midfielder, with their interest in him manifesting before he had even signed for Wolves.
Sky also reported that the club was likely to try and sign him in the summer; however, their valuation of £44m was considered well below the minimum asking price Wolves had of £50m for the former Sporting star.
That said, this ‘interest’ can’t have been all that substantial, as the Liverpool Echo reported in early June that Jürgen Klopp’s side had already moved on from Nunes and were instead focussing on other targets.
Will Wolves sell Matheus Nunes?
With only one year under his belt at Molineux, it would seem odd if the club were willing to sell Nunes for such a small profit, and so it shouldn’t be all that surprising to hear that Wolves are reluctant to sell at all.
So far, they have rejected City’s recent offer of £47m, and according to TalkSport, would only sell should they receive an offer worth at least £60m. For City’s part, journalist Mike Minay has reported that, as with all of their targets, they will walk away should they feel that Wolves’ valuation exceed their own.
What do Matheus Nunes’ goals stats look like at Wolves?
For all the attention he seems to be grabbing from the country’s biggest clubs, you’d be forgiven for thinking Nunes must’ve scored plenty of goals since he arrived in the Midlands last summer; well, unfortunately, that’s just not the case.
In his 37 Premier League appearances for the side, Nunes has only scored one goal and registered one assist. However, he has been playing more as a central midfielder than an attacking one, which helps to explain his poor output.
That said, the one goal he scored against Chelsea was an absolute screamer.
Just take a look at the highlight below:
Is Matheus Nunes leaving Wolves?
While it’s evidently clear that Wolves do not want to sell their prized asset this month, especially so close to the end of the window, the player himself is much more positive about moving.
According to ESPN, the Portuguese midfielder would be ‘keen’ on a move to Manchester, and with Guardiola at the helm who can blame him?
What is the latest Wolves transfer news?
It has been a summer of sales for the club that spent over £100m on signings this time last year. In all, ten players have left the side permanently, with several first-team players among them.
Ruben Neves was at least able to fetch the club £47m, while Nathan Collins brought in another £23m. However, former stars like Adama Traore and Joao Moutinho left for nothing.
Another name that might soon be added to the list of departures is that of Nelson Semedo. According to Football Insider, the full-back has attracted interest from Manchester United, with the Red Devils enquiring about his availability.
The main reason the club have had to sell so many players and so dramatically reduce their spending is the fear that they would break the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules if they repeated last summer’s spending.
The regulations stipulate that no club in the league can register losses of more than £105m over a three-year period, and according to The Athletic, the club were very much at risk of doing precisely this were they not to sanction a raft of sales this summer.
When does the summer transfer window close?
The summer transfer window slams shut on September 1st at 11pm British Summer Time for European clubs, meaning that were Wolves to sell their prized asset this late into the summer, it would leave them very little time to find a quality replacement.
That said, with Paqueta seemingly off the table, the Cityzens also need a new midfielder and should they be unable to land Nunes, they might have to overpay elsewhere.