Chelsea are ready to battle Liverpool for the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ midfielder Matheus Nunes in the summer transfer window, according to The Telegraph.
The Blues’ spending spree is expected to continue despite making over 10 signings already since Todd Boehly took over as club owner at the start of the 2022/23 season.
The newspaper claims Nunes is on the list of potential targets for Chelsea and the Londoners are keen on beating Liverpool to his signature after just one season at Molineux.
Graham Potter is looking to find a possible replacement for long-serving duo Jorginho and N’Golo Kante – who have been tipped to leave Chelsea at the end of the season – and sees Nunes as a perfect fit for his team.
The London-based club have been linked with a move for several midfielders including Brighton duo Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, Benfica ace Enzo Fernández as well as Everton’s Amadou Onana. But it looks like we can add Nunes to that list.
Chelsea have been the busiest Premier League side in the January transfer window and have had a £55m bid turned down last week by Brighton for the signing of Caicedo. They are expected to make new offer closer to £65m but it remains to be seen whether a deal will be agreed.
Potter’s side have also renewed their attempts to sign Argentina international Fernández before the window closes as Chelsea look to bolster their midfield options this winter.
Reinforcement
However, the Blues are expected to sign another central midfielder in the summer and Nunes has now emerged as a target with Chelsea ready to battle it out with Liverpool over his signature.
Chelsea will hope their strong financial position will play a key role in acquiring the services of Nunes ahead of Liverpool. The midfielder was first linked with a move to Jurgen Klopp’s side last summer, but he opted to join Wolves.
According to The Telegraph, the 24-year-old is expected to cost at least £55m in the summer and having spent £200m in bringing in six new additions this month alone, you wouldn’t bet against Chelsea meeting that valuation.
Since moving to the Molineux Stadium, Nunes has racked up 22 appearances and made two goal contributions for Julen Lopetegui’s side. He made two appearances Portugal at 2022 World Cup as they reached the quarter-finals.
He was a fan favourite at LigaPro side Estoril where he netted four goals and provided five assists as they won Portuguese Super Cup and League Cup double before moving to Sporting.
Potter is determined to rebuild his midfield and inject youth and energy, however, they will have to match Wolves’ offer to complete a deal for the player or face the prospect of missing out to Liverpool.
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