Matheus Nunes: Manchester City complete £53m deadline-day deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers' Portugal midfielder

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes has completed a move to Manchester City for a reported fee of £53 million.

City made a first bid of £47m which was rejected, but with a contract that ran until 2027 with a further option of a year, Wolves were able to hold out for a bigger sum.

"Manchester City are delighted to announce the signing of Matheus Nunes from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a five-year deal," read a statement on Manchester City's website.

"The Portuguese international becomes our fourth signing of the summer, following Croatian duo Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol, as well as Belgian winger Jeremy Doku, through the door."

Nunes said: "I'm so happy to be joining Manchester City, the champions of Europe and a club I've admired for a long time.

"The opportunity to work under [City manager] Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest managers ever, and alongside some of the best players in the world was something I simply couldn't turn down.

"I learned so much during my season at Wolves and I'm excited to continue improving in the Premier League, a division which brings the best out of me.

"I'm really excited to get going, meet the fans and hopefully be a part of plenty more success at City."

With Friday’s transfer deadline closing in, Wolves wanted a fee significantly in excess of the £42m they paid Sporting Lisbon for the 24-year-old last season.

While Nunes has impressed in the Premier League, he has scored just a single goal in 41 appearances for Wolves.

City have seen Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez depart this summer, and with Kevin De Bruyne’s hamstring injury plus rumours that Kalvin Phillips could be sold, Guardiola moved for the Wolves midfielder.

Guardiola has previously said that “Nunes is one of the best players in the world today," in 2022 after his City side played Sporting Lisbon.

Manchester City lost their season-opening game in the Charity Shield against Liverpool, but have followed that up with three straight wins in the Premier League against Burnley, Newcastle and Sheffield United, and won the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla in Athens.

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