Manchester City are ready to cut their losses on another player this summer, it has emerged, after a less than impressive campaign at the Etihad.
Revamp at the Etihad
Despite winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title, Pep Guardiola's side appear disorganised heading into the summer. Speculation continues to link both Kevin de Bruyne and Ederson to Saudi Arabia, while Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland have both also been linked with moves away, though the pair appear to have quashed those for the time being.
There is also the annual circus surrounding Bernardo Silva, who has a £50m release clause written into his contract and in Barcelona a perennial admirer.
But one of the club's biggest problems will be getting anything close to the £45m they shelled out for Kalvin Phillips back, after a disastrous loan spell with West Ham has seen interest in the midfielder likely wane and his value certainly drop. And he may not be the only one they struggle to shift.
Fellow midfielder set to follow Phillips
Now, it has emerged that midfielder Matheus Nunes could join him after an underwhelming debut season for the Cityzens. Guardiola was full of praise for Nunes during his time at Sporting CP, dubbing him "one of the best in the world" despite Nunes being on the wrong end of a 5-0 thrashing from City back in 2022.
"Matheus Nunes is one of the best players in the world today. Despite the difficulties and some mistakes, I have to be very satisfied because we took a big step towards the next round. Nunes is one of the best at the moment."
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However, the Spanish coach has since backtracked on those comments, revealing last season: "Maybe I overexaggerated a little bit. He's not. He is a really good player but sometimes, maybe I said this comment after 1-5, it was 5-0? But he's an exceptional player."
His decision to use Nunes so sparingly speaks volumes of this reassessment, with the Portuguese midfielder managing just seven Premier League starts for the Cityzens, with a further ten appearances from the substitutes bench.
His 654 Premier League minutes are just four times as many as he managed this season for Wolves, despite only being eligible to play two games for the Old Gold.
Matheus Nunes' City career
Appearances
29
Starts
14
Goals
0
Assists
5
90 minutes completed
7
Now, TEAMTalk claim that Guardiola has "lost all faith" in Nunes, and "would like to see him moved on" this summer, which has led to him being put up for sale after proving "far too limited" for Pep Guardiola's system.
Having been signed for £53m and penning a five-year deal worth £130,000 a week, shifting Nunes would likely come at a massive loss, with few clubs willing to pay that sort of fee for the 25-year-old.
But, with midfield additions firmly on Manchester City's radar this summer amid links to Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes, he may find his opportunities even more limited next season should no exit agreement be found.
