Manchester City are making a BIG push for their Lucas Paqueta alternative
By Evan Curnew
Manchester City has missed their priority target, Lucas Paqueta after it was revealed the West Ham midfielder was being investigated for suspicious yellow cards related to gambling. There isn’t much the club can do at this point other than move on to other targets. With De Bruyne out with a long-term injury, City are pushing to sign another midfielder. Now, after missing out on one Premier League midfielder, the reigning Champions League winners are eyeing up another player based in England.
Manchester City submit official bid Wolves’ Matheus Nunes
Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Manchester City has launched a bid worth over £42.6m for Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes. The player is ready to make the switch to Manchester and, according to Romano, has agreed to personal terms with Pep Guardiola’s side. Romano’s early reporting suggested that Manchester City internally views Matheus Nunes as a more enticing option than Eberechi Eze, who they also hold a strong interest in.
City choosing Nunes over Eze and viewing him as an alternative to Paqueta is an interesting proposition, given the Portuguese midfielder is not as offensively talented as others mentioned. Nunes is very much a central midfielder, playing as an 8 in the Wolves midfield. Nunes’ best strength is his ability to carry the ball up the field and into the final third. As mentioned, he is not someone who will put up an incredible amount of goals or assists, but nonetheless, his dribbling and passing are very desirable.
Nunes joined Wolves last summer from Sporting for a then-club-record fee of £38m. Wolves do not have a lot of money to spend due to FFP issues, and it was a big reason why Julen Lopetegui left the club. Selling Nunes will hurt, but it may allow them to reinvest the money back into the squad, in hopes of surviving relegation from the Premier League. With plenty of time left on his current contract, Wolves will surely be demanding a high fee for the player, with £42.6m likely not being enough for the club to accept. As with most transfers nowadays, a second bid from Manchester City will likely follow.