Newcastle United’s pursuit for Sporting midfielder Matheus Nunes is a story which lasted long in 2021.
The Magpies first had a bid for him reported in January, and the chase went on until the summer, when the player ended up staying with the Lions and signing a contract extension until 2026.
Now there’s a peculiar reason for this rumour to be back, and that’s the comments made by Pep Guardiola following Sporting’s match against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The manager praised Nunes’ performances, and that was more than enough for several Portuguese newspapers to have stories about his potential move to the Premier League in the summer.
Speaking of that possibility, newspaper Record highlights the fact that Newcastle were one of the clubs who ‘insisted most’ in his signing, having tried to land him on a loan with an option to buy worth €12m.
Correio da Manhã also highlights that the Magpies had chased the player in the summer, pointing out that Sporting wanted €20m back then, and should now raise their request to €30m.
Even though it’s been a while since Newcastle United last got linked to Nunes, there’s no reason to think they’ve forgotten about him. That’s because at the weekend, when Sporting played Porto for the Portuguese League, the Magpies had scouts at the game.
As reported by newspaper O Jogo, the Premier League side were one of the clubs who had emissaries at the 2-2 draw, where the midfielder featured for the 90 minutes.
But Nunes may not be the only player who Newcastle had an eye on, because according to Record, the Magpies are interested in the signing of his midfield partner João Palhinha as well.
