Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed the signing of Sporting CP’s Matheus Nunes.
The highly-rated midfielder joins the Premier League club for a club-record fee of £42.2m, broken down into an initial £38m plus £4.2m in add-ons, reports Sky Sports.
The deal for the Portugal international surpasses the £35m fee Wolves paid Porto two years ago for forward Fabio Silva.
Nunes will join Wolves on a five-year contract, which keeps him at the club until 2027, states Fabrizio Romano.
The 23-year-old becomes Wolves’ third summer signing after the arrivals of Portuguese forward Goncalo Guedes from Valencia and Burnley defender Nathan Collins.
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Welcome, Matheus.
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— Wolves (@Wolves) August 17, 2022
Nunes speaks about his move to Wolves
Speaking to Wolves.co.uk, Nunes said about the move to his new club: “I’m very excited. For me, I could play tomorrow already, but I can’t because the game is Saturday, but I’m looking forward to it.
“I think the club itself [convinced him] and also I spoke to some of my teammates because I play with them for the national team. The coach as well, he really wanted me, and I wanted to play in the Premier League. I think it’s the right next step for me and I’m very happy to be here.”
Wolves have beaten several clubs to the signature of Nunes, which includes big teams such as Liverpool.
The Merseyside club had been linked to the midfielder for most of the summer but the rumours intensified over the course of the last week and a half after Thiago picked up an injury at Fulham on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
The Reds were said to be keen on Nunes but a move was not considered a priority, according to Sky Germany via the Daily Mirror.
This is a big coup for Wolves and manager Bruno Lage will be hoping that the midfielder can help his side climb even further up the Premier League table and achieve bigger things together.