Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly identified Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes as a potential addition ahead of the closure of the summer transfer window.
On the back of last season's historic treble, Guardiola has been overseeing a refresh of his squad, with Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic having moved to the Etihad Stadium.
Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is expected to follow in due course, but City will not be adding Lucas Paqueta to their ranks after the West Ham United midfielder found himself being investigated for possible breaches of betting regulations.
As a result, alternatives to the Brazil international are being considered, with one report indicating that Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze is on their radar.
Nevertheless, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Guardiola is prepared to reignite his interest in Nunes.
© Reuters
During his Sporting Lisbon days, Nunes was described by Guardiola as 'one of the best players in the world today', an indication that City may eventually sign him in an upcoming transfer window.
Instead, Nunes departed the Portuguese giants to join Wolves approximately 12 months ago, with the West Midlands outfit choosing to break their transfer record.
However, despite costing an alleged £38m, Nunes has not lived up to his reputation, mixing fleeting impactful performances with relatively ineffective displays more often than not.
That could be partly attributed to Julen Lopetegui playing him on the right flank during the second half of last season, but the 24-year-old impressed in his first game under Gary O'Neil against Manchester United at the start of this campaign.
© Reuters
Nunes's eye-catching showing at Old Trafford was a reminder of his capabilities and a performance that most likely contributed to Guardiola being prepared to consider a move.
While Wolves will be against the sale of a key player at this stage of the transfer window, making a profit on Nunes may prove too good to turn down if it would allow O'Neil the necessary funds to make his own signings.
Wolves, who have lost to both United and Brighton & Hove Albion, are currently heavily hindered by FFP and ideally need to sign at least one new central defender before the September 1 deadline as a bare minimum.
When Wolves signed Nunes, the general consensus was that a deal had been struck with the acceptance that the player would eventually sign for a bigger club, with Liverpool having been linked with him in both January and earlier this summer.
Darren Plant
