Man City and Liverpool to face off for "one of best in the world"

Manchester City and Liverpool will compete to sign Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes

Nunes arrived at Molineux from Sporting Lisbon in a deal worth £38 million this summer, after he was linked to a host of clubs, including the likes of City and Liverpool.

The Portugal international, who was once dubbed 'one of best in the world' by Guardiola, supposedly delayed making a decision on moving to the West Midlands as he was eager to join Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside.

The Reds never made a move and the 24-year-old ultimately settled on the deal that saw him join Bruno Lage’s side. 

Now, according to the Sunday Mirror, Liverpool will revisit the situation in upcoming transfer windows and are expected to make a move for Nunes.

The report suggests that the Champions League finalists will battle it out with City for the former Sporting star as last season’s Premier League top two look to bolster their midfield.

Despite Wolves’ poor start to the season, which sees them in the bottom three after eight games, Nunes has impressed in the early stages of his career in England, demonstrating his technical quality in his five appearances thus far. 

Similarly to Wolves, Liverpool have suffered an inconsistent start to the new campaign, and are languishing in 9th place, having won just twice in their opening seven matches.

This poor form can largely be attributed to issues in their midfield, with Klopp having to deal with an extensive injury list in this part of the pitch.

The likes of Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all had fitness issues, while new signing Arthur Melo arrived without having enjoyed a pre-season.

Setting aside the early season injury problems in this position, the current midfield at Anfield is in need of rebuilding.

Thiago, Henderson and James Milner are all on the wrong side of 30, while Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contracts expire next summer.

The Reds will likely need at least two new players in this area of the pitch, so Nunes emerging as a viable option is no surprise, while Jude Bellingham is expected to be the primary target.