Man City ‘confident’ after making ‘improved €60m offer’ for Guardiola’s ideal De Bruyne replacement
Manchester City are reportedly growing in confidence that they will be able to sign Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes before the transfer window slams shut on Friday.
Pep Guardiola has made signing a quality midfielder one of his priorities as he looks to bolster his Man City squad.
An injury to Kevin de Bruyne will keep him out for the next four months. Nunes could help fill the void in the Cityzens’ squad in the Belgian’s absence.
West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta was thought to be their primary target but negotiations have collapsed with the Brazilian, who is under investigation for alleged betting breaches.
Man City have now put Nunes at the top of their transfer shortlist. He signed for Wolves last summer for a then-club-record fee of £38m. He has since made 41 appearances for the Midlands club, scoring one goal and making one assist.
The 24-year-old has the ability to play as a defensive or attacking midfielder, so could provide cover in several positions for Man City this season.
Man City have already seen one bid worth £47m rejected for Nunes. They have now made an improved offer as they look to tempt Wolves into selling their star man.
That is according to reputed transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano. On Twitter, Romano wrote: “Understand Manchester City are increasingly confident to get Matheus Nunes deal done very soon after new bid revealed yesterday, in excess of €60m.
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“Negotiations entering final stages after the agreement reached with Matheus on personal terms days ago.”
As mentioned by Romano, Nunes wants to join Man City this summer so personal terms won’t be an issue in the deal.
Nunes is under contract until 2027, so Wolves are under no immediate pressure to sell him. Man City’s offer of €60m (approx. £51.6m) could be enough to tempt Gary O’Neil into letting the midfielder leave, though.
The Portugal international missed Wolves’ last fixture due to suspension. O’Neil was asked about whether Wolves would sell him before the game.
“He’s an important player for us who has four or five years left on his contract,” O’Neil said.
“We rejected a bid because we didn’t feel it met our valuation of what Matheus is worth to us.”
The interview came before Man City’s latest offer for Nunes. It will now be interesting to see how Wolves respond, with Man City ‘increasingly confident’ they can sign the midfielder.
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