As with any linked player to Chelsea nowadays, there is a sudden flurry of intrigue and excitement, with people scrambling to digest as much info as they can.
This was present on Wednesday morning when reports coming out of Portuguese publication A Bola, via the Express, proclaimed that Chelsea will look to offer around £39million for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes, who could be on the move this window.
Although early reports of an actual bid being submitted for Nunes might be inaccurate. Ben Jacobs of CBS reported that the player's agent, Jorge Mendes, has yet to receive any contact from Chelsea.
READ MORE: Matheus Nunes has already given Chelsea transfer verdict as Todd Boehly plan clear amid £43m bid
It is not hard to connect the dots given the recently reported meeting held between Mendes and Todd Boehly, where the idea of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Chelsea was apparently discussed. These noises for Nunes indicate the midfielder might have also been brought up.
The midfield area is certainly one of uncertainty this summer, with both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho heading into the final year of their contracts, whilst Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been linked with a move away. Although the consistent conversation over a new midfielder has leaned towards a defensively-minded player like Declan Rice, Nunes could go someway toward refreshing an ageing area.
Nunes played 50 times for Lisbon last season, scoring four times and creating five. "I'd say he'd play in central midfield", Co-creator of Breaking The Lines and freelance writer Zach Lowy tells football.london.
"There are definitely some similarities between him and Mateo Kovacic. He isn't a DM by any stretch of the imagination. He's a player who thrives with space in front of him, where he's able to dribble forward and use his combination of physicality and technique to his advantage."
Some numbers focusing on his dribbles certainly illustrate this. Completing 3.19 per 90 and creating 0.53 goal-creating actions per 90 via FBRef. Nunes has also played centrally in a double-six like Tuchel has deployed at Chelsea in Sporting's 3-4-3 formation under coach Ruben Amorim.
The Primeira Liga has certainly proved a fruitful ground for some of Chelsea's rivals to gain impressive talent. The two most recent examples are Manchester United's signing of Bruno Fernandes from Lisbon in early 2020 and Luis Diaz from Benfica this past January.
"I think part of it is having to handle the pressure of playing at a massive club like Porto or Sporting or Benfica," Lowry explains. "And part of it is having that unique mix of technical ability and physical prowess".
Nunes would certainly feel like a left-field addition given the long-held interest in Declan Rice from West Ham and also factoring in the current work being done to sign attackers like Raheem Sterling and Raphinha. Whilst also trying to rebuild Tuchel's defence with negotiations continuing for Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Ake.
There is also a question over some returning loanees in central midfield. The trio of Conor Gallagher, Ethan Ampadu and Billy Gilmour are all expected to join the squad for pre-season training in the next week.
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