Liverpool are ramping up their efforts to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes ahead of the new season.
That’s according to Portuguese outlet Correio de Manha. They claim that Nunes is Liverpool’s top transfer target for the rest of the summer, and is now seen as a ‘priority’ by The Reds.
Further to that, Liverpool are reportedly ‘preparing to start negotiations’ with Sporting as they ready a bid.
The price is claimed to have been long-since set by club president Frederico Varandas. That will be £38.4m up-front, with £4.2m expected in add-ons.
Nunes the name on everyone’s lips
Nunes seems to be the man of the moment regarding Liverpool rumours recently, and you can see why.
The 23-year-old looks like the kind of midfielder that The Reds have been crying out for. Having missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni earlier this summer, Nunes looks to have similar attributes to the Frenchman.
Even better, he’s reportedly available for around half of what Tchouameni eventually went for. It’s also at least half cheaper than Jude Bellingham is likely to cost Liverpool a year from now.
With Liverpool seemingly intent on plucking the best talent in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, Nunes would mark a continuation of that.
Whether or not there’s any substance to the rumours is another matter. Liverpool have seemingly been clear in the notion that their business for the summer is finished.
This could of course be a smokescreen. But that doesn’t tend to be the way Liverpool work in the market. If they say they’re finished, then they’re usually finished.
You can never rule anything out though, and given that Nunes does tick a lot of boxes, it’s a transfer that a lot of fans will be hoping for.