Manchester United have reportedly joined rivals Manchester City in the race to sign Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes in the summer.
According to Portuguese publication Correio da Manha, as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are set to face competition from Manchester United in their pursuit of Sporting CP and Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes.
A product of the Ericeirense youth setup, Nunes joined Sporting in January 2019 after a stint with Estoril Praia. The midfielder linked up with the Lions’ Under-23 setup initially before breaking into the first-team roster in 2020 from which point he has steadily grown into a regular for Ruben Amorim’s side.
Nunes featured 50 times across all competitions for Sporting CP in the 2021/22 season, even chipping in with four goals and five assists. The 23-year-old, who has seven caps for the Portuguese national team, has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City ever since their manager, Pep Guardiola praised him after an encounter between the two teams in the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City are preparing for the departure of Fernandinho this summer, with his contract expiring at the end of the month. In addition, the Premier League champions are also likely to bid goodbye to Ilkay Gundogan, whose contract runs out in 2023. It will open up spots in the midfield department that Guardiola must fill this summer.
A move for Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips has been touted, but Nunes has been on the Cityzens’ radar for quite some time now and could become a serious target. However, Manchester United are now ready to rival their neighbours in pursuit of the Portuguese international.
Manchester United are set for a revamp in the middle of the park as Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have confirmed their exits, while Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are also leaving at the end of the month when their respective contracts expire. It is set to create multiple vacancies in the centre of the park that new manager Erik ten Hag will look to fill, with Nunes emerging as the latest target.
The report states that Nunes has a release clause worth €60 million in his contract with Sporting CP. However, a deal can be done for a fee of around €50 million if either club is willing to offer a player on loan. Both Manchester City and Manchester United have good relationship with the Portuguese outfit, having worked on notable transfers in recent times.
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However, considering that Manchester City have been working on a deal for Nunes for a longer time and can offer Champions League football next season, they might have the edge over Manchester United in the race for the 23-year-old.
