Man City approach Wolves crunch talks after Matheus Nunes goes on strike

Manchester City will have to thrash out a deal with Wolves in the final days of the transfer window if they are to land Matheus Nunes.

The Blues saw a £47m bid rejected for the Portugal midfielder last week, and while they are expected to return with another offer there is less certainty that a deal will be done amid expectation that they will not be willing to go up to the £60m asking price that Wolves have set. That would leave the club either gambling on Wolves to soften their terms, working on a compromise, or walking away.

Nunes refused to train with Wolves over the weekend in a clear sign that he wants the deal to be done, although that act does not indicate that negotiations are going as the player wants them to. Riyad Mahrez pulled a similar trick at Leicester in January 2018 to push through a move to City, but had to wait until the summer to get his wish and Nunes will be aware that he may not get a second chance to join the Premier League champions.

James McAtee had been the subject of interest from Wolves this summer before City bid for Nunes and could be used to help City secure a deal, as could fellow young midfielder Tommy Doyle after he also impressed last season in Sheffield United's promotion from the Championship. However, while Doyle has not been involved with the first team this season Pep Guardiola is keen to hold onto McAtee; the 20-year-old, alongside £45m man Kalvin Phillips, would expect to feature more prominently if no new midfielder comes in.

ALSO READ: Kovacic is helping unlock a new side to Man City's most important player

City have missed out on midfield targets Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta this summer as well as losing Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona, and a serious injury