A report has revealed which player at Manchester City seems like the safest bet to be playing elsewhere next season.
Several City players’ futures have seemingly been uncertain — for instance, Kevin De Bruyne, with a claim emerging on Tuesday that he is prepared to hold talks next week about a move to the Saudi Pro League.
De Bruyne also suggested that while an incredibly lucrative offer could tempt him into considering an exit, he intends to stay at Manchester City next season.
A report on Tuesday stated that sources in Saudi Arabia expect Ederson Moraes to be playing in the Saudi Pro League this summer. However, anonymous sources close to the Sky Blues are not believed to be “alarmed” about his future at the club.
Matheus Nunes is another player whose future seems uncertain.
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Report reveals Matheus Nunes’ future in a Manchester City shirt
Having joined Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer of 2023 for £54 million, one would imagine that he would get another season to prove his worth at the club.
In May, it was stated that Guardiola feels Nunes is a “useful player” and wishes he could have played him more frequently during his debut season at City — with the 25-year-old believed to have maintained a professional attitude and not complained about his lack of regular playing time — despite starting just nine Premier League games in the previous campaign.
But The Athletic have now provided an interesting revelation about his future at the Etihad Stadium.
The report has stated that as things stand, Nunes looks the likeliest player at Manchester City to leave the club this summer.
It has been claimed that due to City’s interest in signing Bruno Guimaraes, the club’s aim to sign a midfielder capable of filling in for Rodri, Saudi Arabia’s interest in the Portuguese international’s signature and Guardiola’s desire not to have a bloated squad are factors that make his exit likelier than the rest.
If Nunes — described as a player with “tremendous quality” by Joao Palhinha — were to head to the Saudi Pro League, the funds from his sale could help Manchester City finance a transfer for Guimaraes.
Furthermore, the report claims that with the exit-linked duo of De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva seeming likelier to stay than leave, unless he does not “make a big step forward” — the former Wolves midfielder could be sold.
As a result, several factors seem to be pointing towards the Rio de Janeiro-born attacker being potentially set for the exit door out of the Etihad Stadium.
Matheus Nunes could be worth selling if Bruno Guimaraes move can be funded
Guimaraes is already one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, unlike Nunes, who still requires to improve from a technical and tactical standpoint to be deemed Manchester City-quality.
The latter’s technical fundamentals such as his first touch and the tempo at which he approaches games are quite unpolished as opposed to the Brazilian — who is both a brilliant central and holding midfielder.
With Guimaraes capable of being an excellent understudy for Rodri, which is one of City’s biggest priorities heading into next season — the sale of Nunes, as stated in the report could help them fund his arrival — which would be worth letting the former Sporting CP hero leave the club.
Pep Guardiola could have his hands on a superior midfielder while his demands for a relatively bite-sized squad would be fulfilled as well.