Manchester City isn’t short of defensive-midfielders with Fernandinho and Rodri at their disposal, but Pep Guardiola wants another player who’s adept at turning over possession as Fernandinho turns 37 in May and is out of contract in the coming months.
The city isn’t against keeping the Brazilian international for another 12 months, but Guardiola will have to replace him eventually and A Bola says Matheus Nunes has been identified as a potential option. The 23-year-old is available for £33.3m and would surely jump at the chance to join the Sky Blues.
Nunes joined Sporting from Estoril Praia in 2019 and has gone on to make 92 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals with eight assists. The Brazilian-born Portuguese international has made 43 appearances across the board in 2021/22, scoring three with five assists, but this might be his final season at the Estádio José Alvalade.
Nunes has had 64/90 successful dribbles which are more than City’s top dribblers – Bernardo Silva (49/80), Joao Cancelo (46/82), Raheem Sterling (33/76), Gabriel Jesus (31/51), and Jack Grealish (30/51) – but it’s his composure in possession and ability to win the ball back that Guardiola will like the most.
