Everton have reportedly stepped up their interest in Sporting CP’s 23-year-old Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes.
According to Portuguese publication O Jogo, as relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have rekindled their interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes after monitoring him last summer only to drop his pursuit at the last minute.
Frank Lampard is eager to have a much-improved season after one which saw Everton avoid relegation narrowly and wants to strengthen his squad in multiple positions. The Toffees finished 16th in the recently-concluded Premier League season, just four points off the drop zone.
Nunes was on Everton’s wishlist last summer, with the Merseyside club reportedly coming close to completing a deal for the Portuguese international which would have cost them €25 million. However, then manager Rafael Benitez seemed to have pulled the plug on their move for Nunes, and he stayed put in Lisbon.
Everotn must have rued the missed opportunity as the Portuguese international had a highly impressive season for Sporting CP, making 50 appearances for them across competitions, in which he registered four goals and five assists from central midfield.
Nunes’s fine performances at the club level also earned him a national cap, and he now has eight appearances for the Portuguese national team under his belt. Naturally, bigger European clubs started to take notice, and Pep Guardiola even termed him ‘one of the best players in world football’.
With interest increasing in the Portuguese midfielder, Everton have reportedly decided to step up their interest and have made him one of their ‘priority targets’. The Toffees were pleasantly surprised by Nunes’s development and want to correct the wrongs of last summer’s window.
Everton could reportedly pay up to €50 million to secure Nunes’s signature, with the Portuguese international still having four years left on his contract with Sporting CP. He has a release clause worth €60 million in his contract, but the Merseyside giants are hoping that a deal could be struck for €50 million.
Newcastle United have also registered their interest in the Portuguese midfielder, while Manchester City were also linked with a move for him following Guardiola’s glowing reviews. But Nunes’s next destination might be Everton.
