Matheus Nunes: Man City sign midfielder from Wolves in £53m deal

Manchester City have signed midfielder Matheus Nunes from Wolves in a £53m deal.

The 25-year-old’s move to City is a club-record sale for Wolves, who have a 10 per cent sell-on fee on any future profit City make on Nunes.

The former Sporting player becomes City’s fourth major summer signing following the arrivals of Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku to take the treble winners’ spending to £216.1m.

City had been looking for a creative midfielder after Kevin De Bruyne was ruled out for several months with a hamstring injury he suffered in the first game of the season against Burnley.

Nunes went on strike in the final week of the window in a bid to force through his move to the Etihad.

Nunes has shown glimpses of his quality, scoring a superb volley against Chelsea last season, but that remains his only goal for the club in 41 appearances.

Wolves signed Nunes in a club-record £42.2m deal last summer, paying an initial £38m plus £4.2m in add-ons.

Nunes has specific skill that Guardiola desires

“Matheus Nunes is one of the best players in the world today.” That comment from Pep Guardiola came in February of last year after Manchester City’s win over Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie. He is a long-time admirer.

Nunes joined Wolves for £38m at the end of that season, going on to provide glimpses of the quality that Guardiola had recognised in him. An outrageous strike on the angle against Chelsea in April made the shortlist for Premier League goal of the season.

But City’s signing of Nunes is still intriguing given that this remains his only goal in the competition. That it was such a spectacular one sums up his time at Wolves – hints of what he is capable of but a frustrating inability to put all the parts of his game together.

What is the likelihood that Guardiola can succeed where Wolves failed? There are certainly mitigating circumstances at Molineux. A clear vision for the player would be a start because there has been confusion about how best to use Nunes since he came to England.

Read Sky Sports football feature writer Adam Bate’s analysis here.

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