Man City ‘exploring’ move for £42m Wolves star as Pep Guardiola eyes Lucas Paqueta alternatives

Manchester City are ‘exploring’ a move for highly-rated Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to reports. 

It’s thought that Pep Guardiola sees the Portugal international as an alternative to West Ham star Lucas Paqueta, who looks set to remain at the London stadium.

Man City made multiple big-money bids for Paqueta but negotiations have now collapsed, with the midfielder subject of an investigation into alleged betting breaches.

The Cityzens may well go back in for Paqueta in January if he is cleared of all charges, but it’s no secret that Guardiola is keen to bring in another quality midfielder before the transfer window closes.

This comes after the Cityzens parted ways with Ilkay Gundogan, who signed for Barcelona on a free transfer in June. They have also been hit with the loss of Kevin de Bruyne to a hamstring injury, who faces up to four months on the sidelines.

It now seems that Man City are considering a move for Nunes, but Wolves won’t let him go easily, especially so close to the end of the transfer window.

With that in mind, they will have to put their money where their mouth is to get a deal over the line.

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According to reputed transfer journalist David Ornstein, Man City are ‘exploring’ the possibility of signing Nunes this summer.

On Twitter, he wrote: “Man City exploring deal to sign Matheus Nunes from Wolves. 24yo high among small pool of options. Man City want him to bolster [their] midfield.

“Wolves are unlikely to welcome the interest so late but [his sale] would bring funds to strengthen in multiple areas.”

Nunes joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon last summer on a five-year deal with the option for a sixth and has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the past, which never materialised. 

The 24-year-old has made 41 appearances for Wolves so far, scoring one goal and making one assist. He has the ability to play as a defensive or attacking midfeilder, so could provide cover in several positions for Man City this season.

It isn’t clear how much the Cityzens are willing to pay for Nunes this summer. Wolves spent £42.2m on him, though, so they would be looking to make a sizeable profit on that investment.

It will be interesting to see if Man City make an opening offer for the Portuguese star in the next few days.

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