Man City ‘explore’ late transfer for Wolves star as Crystal Palace man short listed

Wolverhampton Wanderers could be braced for a late transfer battle as Manchester City 'explore a deal to sign Matheus Nunes.

The Athletic's chief football reporter David Ornstein reports that the Citizens are 'exploring a deal' before the summer transfer window closes. Man City are looking to bolster their midfield following a hamstring injury to Kevin de Bruyne which has seen him sidelined for the next three months.

Pep Guardiola's men agreed a £55.5m deal to sign Jeremy Doku from Rennes, and are also looking to add to their central midfield, with a move for Lucas Paqueta a non-starter amid a Football Association investigation over potential breaches.

It is believed that Manchester City have a small shortlist over potential signings they'd like to pursue and Nunes is one of those. The Portuguese international is ranked 'high' amongst the names on their list, and now Wolves could be set for yet another big money sale this summer.

The 24-year-old has only been at Molineux for a season having joined from Sporting Lisbon, and made 34 appearances last year with one goal and an assist, and drew transfer interest from Liverpool though a move to Anfield failed to materialise. He has so far featured in both of Wolves' matches this season, and any further big money departure now would come as a blow to Gary O'Neil, who oversaw a heavy defeat to Brighton last weekend.

Nunes is under contract at Wolves for four-more-years, and there is an option for the club to extend his stay by a further should they wish to offer themselves more security on his contract. Wolves have already parted ways with Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins, whilst Raul Jimenez and Ryan Giles were sold to league rivals.

Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze is the other player that Man City are tracking, and it could be a case of which player will offer the reigning Premier League champions the most value in the long-term, whilst also considering the transfer fee.