De Jong alternative on Chelsea’s radar set to join PL rivals

Chelsea target Matheus Nunes to join Wolverhampton Wanderers

According to a tweet from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Football.London), one of Chelsea’s Frenkie de Jong alternatives Matheus Nunes is set to join Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of around €45m with an add-on of €5m.

Nunes has been linked with a move to top Premier League clubs this summer, including Chelsea, Liverpool and champions Manchester City. The Blues had him as one of the alternative signings in midfield if the de Jong move does not happen.

The Sporting Lisbon midfielder is one of the sought-after midfielders across Europe. He has been sensational in the last year or so for the Portuguese side, despite them missing out on the league title to FC Porto.

The 23-year-old is a versatile player who can play in several positions across the central areas of the pitch. He has played most of his football as a number eight, in a box-to-box role. However, he is comfortable playing as a defensive midfielder, as a number 10 or as one of the wide midfielders, preferably on the right-hand side.

Nunes had nine direct goal contributions in 50 appearances in all competitions last season and was one of the best players for Sporting. He has started this season well too, scoring a worldie in one of the league games in the past weekend.

So, it is clear why the player was linked with almost all the top clubs in England. Moreover, amongst the three senior midfield options on Chelsea’s books, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are 31 and 30 respectively, while Mateo Kovacic is 28. Only Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour are the young ones in that department.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea fall short with £40m bid for Everton striker Anthony Gordon
• Midfielder Ross Barkley backed to seal Celtic transfer move
• Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers denies Wesley Fofana “farewell signal” amidst Chelsea links

Thus, not only signing Nunes would have added quality to the Blues’ midfield department, the average age would have come down significantly. With Nunes set to move to the Molineux, it makes sense for the Blues to focus their attention elsewhere.