Liverpool have reportedly made contact with Sporting CP for Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes, a target for Chelsea.
According to Jornal de Noticias, as relayed by Paisley Gates, Premier League giants Liverpool have made contact with Portuguese giants Sporting CP regarding a summer move for midfielder Matheus Nunes, a target for Chelsea. The Portuguese giants are demanding £42 million for the youngster.
The 23-year-old came through the ranks at Iberian minnows Ericeirense before moving to Estoril in 2018. Nunes spent a solitary season at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota before moving to Sporting CP in 2019. He has since made 99 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals and assisting eight more.
A central midfielder, Nunes is adept in both attack and defence and is among the best in his position in the Portuguese top-flight. A good dribbler, the 23-year-old also has an eye for a pass and is capable of splitting open defences with his vision.
At 23, Nunes still has a long way to go in his career, and under the right guidance can develop into a world-class player. Jurgen Klopp is among the best in world football in doing just that and could provide the Portuguese international with the resources he needs on Merseyside.
Liverpool have invested well in the transfer market in recent windows and have gone big to land Darwin Nunez this summer. While the additions of Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay have been astute, it does little to address their shortcomings in midfield.
Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and James Milner are all over 30, while Fabinho is not getting any younger. Naby Keita has been inconsistent, and Curtis Jones has struggled to build upon his initial promise. Sooner or later, an infusion of youth and quality is needed at Liverpool, and Nunes has emerged as a viable target for the Reds.
The Reds have not yet made an official bid for the 23-year-old, but Sporting CP would be willing to part ways with him for around £42 million. While the price is in no way cheap, Klopp will be getting a player onboard at Liverpool whose talent is a bang for the buck. But he will face stiff competition from Chelsea.
The west Londoners also need to freshen up their midfield, and it comes as no surprise that they are interested in the Sporting CP star. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are in their thirties, and age is catching up with the two Chelsea midfield stalwarts. So the interest from Chelsea makes sense.
A move to Anfield makes sense for Nunes, who can be a key part of Klopp’s Liverpool rebuild. A midfielder was on the agenda this summer, but the club failed to land Aurelien Tchouameni. While Jurgen Klopp might have played down their plans to bring in a midfielder, Liverpool has in the past shown itself willing to do what it takes to land its top targets.
The Portuguese top flight has served as a breeding ground for players seeking to move to the Premier League in recent months. Liverpool signed Luis Diaz from FC Porto in January, while Benfica’s Darwin Nunez followed suit in the summer. Whether the Reds will complete a troika of raiding Portugal’s big three clubs by beating Chelsea to Nunes’s signature to the list remains to be seen.
