Portugal star attracts attention from Chelsea and Liverpool

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By Martin Graham | 27th Jan 2023

Chelsea and Liverpool are locked in a battle for the services of Portugal international Matheus Nunes. The Wolverhampton Wanderers player has spent less than a season at the club but could leave immediately.

The Blues are in poor form this season. It led to the sacking of Thomas Tuchel, who was looking to find answers to the problems bedeviling the club. The arrival of Graham Potter has done little to mitigate the suffering of the club as they remain in tenth place on the Premier League log.

Liverpool are not much better than the Stamford Bridge side. The Anfield side is above Chelsea on the log but locked on the same points as the Blues.

Jurgen Klopp is at sea on how to rein in the problems at the club and is looking for answers. The German tactician has been undone this season by injuries and a drop in form by his top lieutenants.

However, their paths are about to cross again for the umpteenth time, albeit not on the pitch. With both sides looking to improve their lot, they are searching for players that can turn around their fortunes. The Reds and Blues will clash in their pursuit of Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes.

Matheus Nunes in the eye of the storm

Several reports suggest a looming battle is in the offing between arch-rivals Chelsea and Liverpool. The Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is on a buying spree, as he has been going around Europe looking to bring in enough hands to turn around their fortunes. Boehly has spent about £460 million since taking over the club and is keen to splash more.

Matheus Nunes is the player in the eye of the storm. The midfielder has attracted the attention of both clubs as they try to prise him away from Wolves. Liverpool were close to signing Nunes last summer before he eventually landed at the Molineux for £38 million. The former Sporting Lisbon midfielder has now ignited the fire of a bidding war between Chelsea and Liverpool.

Chelsea have been trying to hijack deals by other clubs this term and succeeded with a couple of transfers. An example is the Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhaylo Mudryk, who was due to sign for Arsenal before a last-minute turnaround.

Nunes is the latest player to get Boehly salivating. He has spent less than a season at Wolves but could leave after just one campaign.

Nunes, Chelsea and other targets

The 24-year-old midfielder has 11 caps for Portugal. He featured for the Iberian nation at the Qatar World Cup and joined Wolves for a club-record fee. He has made 17 Premier League appearances this term for the club.

According to the Telegraph, Nunes has a contract till 2027 and could cost around £44 million.

Todd Boehly has spent plenty of dough this winter and seems keen to keep the purse open.

Reports suggest that Liverpool and Chelsea are also interested in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, with Premier League leaders Arsenal also sharing an interest. Caicedo claims to be focused on the Seagulls and has no interest in leaving the club yet. It would take a massive amount to prise him away from Brighton.

One wonders whether Liverpool can match the spending of Chelsea, with the Blues already acquiring several players in January. Chelsea signed Noni Madueke in a £35m deal from PSV and Mykhailo Mudryk for £88.5m after a bidding war with Arsenal.