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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Paul Gorst

Liverpool stance on Matheus Nunes confirmed as January transfer obstacle emerges

Liverpool Maus Nunes Cody Gakpo Enzo Fernandez Jude Bellingham Jurgen Klopp Anfield (Organization) Darwin Nunez Diogo Jota Brentford

Liverpool are continuing to explore their midfield options with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Nunes under consideration.

The Portugal international only joined Wolves last summer in a £44m deal and has played 14 times so far in the Premier League. However, Nunes has only completed 90 minutes once since September, turning out for the Midlands side in last week's defeat to Manchester United.

Liverpool 's interest in Nunes has been described as 'long standing' and the Reds did assess the merits of the 24-year-old last term during his final season with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal's Primeira Liga.

Liverpool have a good relationship with Nunes's Gestifute agency having worked with them during deals for the likes of Fabinho, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, with sporting director Julian Ward, in particular, enjoying a closeness with key figures at the Jorge Mendes-founded company.

The Reds are also on good terms with Wolves having amicably and decisively agreed a complicated structure for Jota in September 2020 in a deal that saw Ki-Jana Hoever go the other way.

However, it is understood the Reds won't be looking to bring Nunes to Anfield in January. Under current laws, players are eligible to be registered for a maximum of three clubs in the same season but can only play for two, meaning there would be little point in signing the Portugal star this month.

Nunes played for Sporting in August prior to his switch to Molineux, meaning he cannot turn out for Liverpool, theoretically, until next term. The signing of Nunes was viewed as a major coup for Wolves at the time with both Liverpool and Manchester City keen on the attacking midfielder.

Anfield sources have stressed that a mid-season move for any midfielder remains unlikely following the initial £37m capture of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven. The Netherlands international was only officially registered as a Reds player on New Year's Day and is likely to make his debut on Saturday when Liverpool entertain Wolves at Anfield.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford, Jurgen Klopp admitted significant outlay on more players is unlikely this month following the arrival of Gakpo.

“I am now here seven years and a few months, and every window is pretty much the same," said the Liverpool boss. "We talk about these things as though money wouldn't play a role. It is never like this, that we can just spend money.

"I don't want to disappoint anybody and their dreams, but we sign an outstanding player like Cody Gakpo and the next thing you read is 'who's next?'. It's like we didn't have a team.“

Despite the reticence to spend further, however, Liverpool will need a significant overhaul of their midfield options this summer. With James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into the final six months of their respective deals, work will need to be done to bolster the engine room ranks.

Klopp has been a long-term admirer of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and spoke at length about the 19-year-old’s qualities before the Boxing Day trip to Aston Villa.

“I don’t like to talk about money when you talk about a player like him," said the Reds boss. "Everyone can see he is just exceptional.

"If you mention to someone who has no clue about football or who knows about football and has not watched it for a while ‘how old do you think Jude Bellingham is?’, I don’t think anyone would get even close to his age. They would say 28 or 29 because he plays so mature.

“What can I say? I have thought that already for two or three years since he had his breakthrough at Dortmund. Everybody knew already but I have no idea what that means for the money side of it.”

Any move for the England international, however, is surely dependent on Liverpool’s participation in next season’s Champions League given it will likely cost a club-record fee to land him.

One player who Liverpool are not pursuing is Enzo Fernandez of Benfica. The midfielder starred for Argentina as they won the World Cup in Qatar last month and has subsequently been linked to Anfield.

However, the Reds have made no move for Fernandez as speculation over a move to Chelsea rumbles on.

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