Chelsea have reportedly joined the race to land Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes from relegation-battlers Wolverhampton Wanderers in the January transfer window.
According to Chelsea correspondent Simon Phillips, Chelsea are keeping tabs on Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes as the Blues look to bolster their midfield after Enzo Fernandez’s pursuit collapsed.
Graham Potter will be feeling the heat after a fine honeymoon phase to his tenure at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea boss has turned into an absolute wreck, with the side not only being knocked out of both cup competitions by Manchester City but falling into obscurity in the Premier League too.
The Blues are currently languishing in tenth place in the league table ahead of their clash with Fulham on Thursday night this weekend, and despite being a top-four mainstay in previous campaigns, they are now 10 points adrift of fourth-place Manchester United as they head into the second half of the season.
The January transfer window offers a golden opportunity for Todd Boehly and co. to strengthen the squad in their weakest positions to spark an ambitious effort to climb back up the table and be in contention for at the very least a European berth.
Chelsea’s midfield has been one of the most heavily criticised areas of the pitch this season, with the Stamford Bridge faithful crying out for reinforcements to be acquired in order to add quality depth and get their club back on track.
With Enzo Fernandez now apparently out of the picture for a potential January move, going after a proven Premier League option could be the way forward for the Blues.
Bearing in mind how Chelsea currently have N’Golo Kante and Jorginho in their squad over the age of 30 and are expected to leave Stamford Bridge next summer with their contracts expiring at the end of the season, it’s understandable why the club have reportedly got their eyes on multiple options with a younger age profile, having recently linked with moves for Brighton duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
The latest midfielder to emerge on their radar is Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes, who has been a hot topic in recent days. Recent reports suggested that Liverpool are keen to sign the Portuguese international for around £44 million, but that deal would be more likely to happen this summer. Now, Chelsea are closely monitoring the situation around him, and are interested in a winter swoop.
The 24-year-old arrived at Molineux from Sporting CP, having already been heavily linked with high-profile moves to Liverpool and Chelsea.
It hasn’t been a straightforward ride for Nunes since joining the Black Country outfit, but he appears to have eased into life in English football. Bruno Lage and Steve Davis were not making proper use of the 24-year-old playmaker. But Julen Lopetegui has used him deeper, and he appears to be a lot more at ease in that role, recently shining in Wolves’ 2-2 FA Cup third-round draw with Liverpool.
The versatile, aggressive, and tough-tackling midfielder has a well-rounded skill set, whilst offering real energy between the two boxes. Signing Nunes will not be an easy task though as Wolves are in a perilous position and would not want to lose their prized asset except for an irresistible proposal.
