Nottingham Forest are said to be eyeing up a summer swoop for versatile Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes amid the possibility of Morgan Gibbs-White heading in the opposite direction.
The summer window opens on Sunday (June 1) and it is a big one Trentside. The Reds know the importance of getting their transfer business right as they aim to push on again after a memorable season.
Changes will be made to head coach Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad, with incomings and outgoings on the cards. Having qualified for the UEFA Conference League, Forest need to make sure the Portuguese has sufficient strength in depth at his disposal next term.
According to The Sun, Nunes is one of the names on the Reds’ radar. And it is suggested his future at the Etihad Stadium could be linked to that of Forest ace Gibbs-White at the City Ground.
City have the England international in their sights and are expected to test the Reds’ resolve to hang on to him. The Sun claim Nunes could prove “a useful bargaining chip” for Pep Guardiola’s side in any attempt to prise away Gibbs-White.
Forest head coach Nuno is a “big fan” of Nunes, who has played at full-back as well as in midfield for City, and is said to have the player on his “wish list”. The 26-year-old could cost in the region of £35 million, with the beaten FA Cup finalists “prepared to cut their losses” as they prepare for a summer reshuffle.
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Nunes cost City a reported £53m when he made the move from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2023. The Portugal international made 26 appearances in the Premier League during the season just gone.
Guardiola recently suggested the former Sporting man was not “clever enough” to play in his favoured midfield position. He said: "He can become a good right-back for his physicality.
"I think he's not a player to play in midfield because he's not clever enough, in the composure, but he has incredible skills and he's learning a lot.
"The big mistake of full-backs is when you have the cross to the far post where you are, they are always sleeping. He has the attention and the physicality to do it, so he can play in that position and help us a lot."
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