Manchester United to rival Liverpool for Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes?

Manchester United are reportedly contemplating whether to make an approach for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes.

In August, the West Midlands outfit opted to pay a club-record £38m to sign the highly-rated Nunes from Sporting Lisbon.

However, the acquisition of the Portugal international seemingly came with the assurance that he would eventually be allowed to move to a bigger club in the future.

Liverpool have long been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old, admiration which could be backed up now that they have withdrawn from the race to sign Jude Bellingham.

Nevertheless, according to Football Insider, the Merseyside giants could soon find themselves in competition with one of their fiercest rivals.

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Speaking to the outlet, journalist Pete Rourke claims that Nunes is on the shortlist of potential midfield arrivals at Old Trafford this summer.

Like Liverpool, United are expected to make significant changes in that area of the pitch in order to boost their chances of launching a Premier League title bid in 2023-24.

With Scott McTominay likely to be sold, there will be a space in Erik ten Hag's engine room, and Nunes seemingly fits what the Dutchman is looking for.

Nunes has endured a mixed first campaign in England's top flight, only contributing one goal and one assist in 25 starts and three substitute outings.

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That said, his best form has come in recent weeks, scoring one of Wolves' goals of the season in the 1-0 win over Chelsea and playing a key role in their second versus Brentford last weekend.

Nunes has flourished in the recent absence of Ruben Neves, who has been serving a two-game ban, and there is an acceptance that one of the pair will leave Molineux in the summer.

Wolves recently removed a release clause from Nunes's contract, believed to be somewhere in the region of £44m, but a higher bid may tempt Wolves into a sale depending on developments with Neves.

The duo are currently focused on trying to keep Wolves in England's top flight, Julen Lopetegui's side sitting seven points above the relegation zone ahead of a trip to rivals Leicester City on Saturday.