Manchester City want to replace Matheus Nunes with Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to AS.
The Spanish newspaper claims the Premier League champions have already lost patience with Nunes, barely a year after he sealed a £53m move from Wolves.
If the Portuguese international does depart, it could pave the way for Guimaraes’ arrival at the Etihad.
AS report that the Cityzens held talks with the Brazilian international’s entourage back in January and a move for the player has gained further weight in recent days following the FA charges against another midfield target, West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta.
City have less than a month to make a bid for Guimaraes
Newcastle are not interested in offloading one of their key players but they are powerless to stop him from leaving if a team triggers the £100m release fee in his contract.
The clause is only active until June 24th, which means Pep Guardiola’s side have 27 days to table an offer, or they could lose their chance to secure his signature.
AS also suggest that Guimaraes may be offloaded for as little as £68m due to the Magpies needing to balance the books after missing out on European football, but other sources have not backed up those claims.
Premier League rivals are pursuing the Newcastle star
It is believed that both Arsenal and Liverpool are also keeping tabs on Guimaraes’ situation, but there are question marks over whether either team are prepared to pay the necessary fee for the player.
The Gunners, in particular, are said to be restricted in what they can do due to Financial Fair Play so they are unlikely to trigger the midfielder’s release clause.
City may have to keep an eye on Liverpool, though. The Reds were prepared to pay as much as £110m for Moises Caicedo last year before losing out to Chelsea for the Ecuadorian.
