Manchester City and Wolves have arrived at an initial agreement in principle for a £47.3 million deal to secure the services of midfielder Matheus Nunes.
The accord for the 25-year-old player has been reached verbally, although it’s important to note that the formal confirmation of the deal is pending. Importantly, the arrangement does not involve any supplementary components or add-ons.
City had a prior bid for the Portuguese talent turned down by Wolves just last week. During that negotiation, Wolves were reportedly seeking a fee exceeding £60 million.
In recent times, Nunes has been absent from training, a clear indication of his strong desire to be a part of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
In a separate development, Wolves have agreed to bring in Manchester City’s England Under-21 international, Tommy Doyle, on loan. This loan arrangement includes a stipulation that would allow Wolves to secure Doyle’s permanent transfer for £4.3 million, along with a significant sell-on clause for Manchester City.
It’s important to emphasize that these two transactions are distinct and unrelated. They emerge in the wake of Manchester City’s decision to refrain from meeting Wolves’ initial valuation of £60 million or more for Nunes.
Even before Kevin de Bruyne suffered a hamstring injury that could potentially keep him out of action for up to four months, Manchester City was already in pursuit of bolstering its midfield options. While West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta was initially considered, subsequent revelations emerged that the 25-year-old Brazilian is currently under investigation by the Football Association for possible breaches of betting regulations.
Wolves’ manager, Gary O’Neil, expressed optimism following Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Blackpool, suggesting that Nunes is expected to remain with the club even beyond the impending transfer deadline on Friday.
