With the summer transfer window looming large, one area that Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe will seemingly be keen to strengthen is in the midfield ranks, with the Englishman's options in that department currently rather limited following the departure of Jonjo Shelvey in January.
As per Football Insider, the Magpies are ready to move to find a partner for Bruno Guimaraes ahead of next season, with the report suggesting that the club have set aside 'huge' funds in order to find an ideal talent to slot in next to the influential Brazilian.
According to the Daily Mail, one player who could seemingly fit that brief is Wolverhampton Wanderers star, Matheus Nunes, with the Tynesiders named in the piece as one of a handful of Premier League clubs who are interested in signing the Portugal international this summer.
The former Sporting CP man – who could cost in the region of £45m – only made the move to England ahead of the start of the current campaign, although a strong debut campaign at Molineux has ensured that a summer departure could already be on the cards.
The 24-year-old is clearly a player who the St James' Park hierarchy have been tracking over an extended period of time with reports back in 2021 having outlined the club's interest, while Howe and co were also said to be eyeing a move last summer, prior to the playmaker eventually joining the Old Gold.
Would Nunes be a good signing for Newcastle?
It would undoubtedly be something of a coup for Newcastle were they able to snap up a player who was previously hailed as "one of the best players in the world" by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, with Nunes likely to prove something of an upgrade on academy graduate, Sean Longstaff, in the centre of the park.
The differing quality between the pair is showcased by the fact that the Wolves man is simply "unbelievable when he has the ball at his feet" – according to ex-teammate Goncalo Santos – as he notably ranks in the top 9% among his European peers over the past year for successful take-ons and in the top 16% for progressive carries as a marker of that ball-playing quality, while Longstaff, by contrast, ranks in just the bottom 10% and the bottom 22% for the same two metrics, respectively.
It is also seemingly Nunes who has come out on top so far this season with regard to his ability to win back possession after averaging 2.1 tackles per game from his 27 top-flight outings, while the current Newcastle man has averaged just 1.3 tackles per game from his 30 league appearances.
With the northeast side seemingly looking for a box-to-box asset to partner Guimaraes, the Molineux star could also be a better fit due to his ability to drive forward from deep for his side after averaging 1.3 successful dribbles per game, while Longstaff, by contrast, has averaged just 0.3 in that regard.
Nunes' attacking prowess was also showcased during last weekend's victory over Chelsea, with the Brazil-born gem lashing in a stunning, volleyed effort from the angle to inflict defeat on Frank Lampard's men.
That moment of brilliance will no doubt have further piqued the interest of those back on Tyneside, with it set to be no surprise if the Magpies do revive their previous interest in the one-time Estoril man this summer.