According to some reports Everton have now withdrawn from a potential move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes.
Sportwitness quoting Portuguese media claim that Everton boss Rafa Benitez doesn’t consider signing him to be a priority and is instead looking to focus on improving other areas of his team.
Well as is always the case you never know for sure how solid the foundation of these stories really is and despite all the rumours of interest and even a deal being close, the Blues might not have ever been serious about bringing in the Brazilian youngster.
At any rate, if this report is on the right track then it appears as though any possible move for the 21-year-old, is over.
It’s clear so far that in terms of transfer strategy, Benitez has first of all wanted to significantly strengthen the attacking options he has, in particular providing more width and pace to his side.
So Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray have both arrived in quick succession and there might even be another addition to them as well.
Then there have been persistent rumours of the Toffees moving to add another centre-back and it’s crystal clear Everton must find a right-back this summer.
In addition, there might also be a need for more striking options given the team’s over-reliance on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the uncertain futures of Moise Kean and even Richarlison.
Finally it seems likely that the Blues manager also wants to bring in, if he can, another energetic central midfielder as well.
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With all that to sort out it might well have seemed to Benitez that Nunes was a luxury he literally can’t afford and so he moved to pull the plug on the deal.
The young Brazilian always looked very much like a Marcel Brands type of signing; a young, promising talent who can hopefully develop and progress and represent a long-term investment, and one that could then bring in a big profit if he was sold later on.
It was also a transfer that did seem to hinge on who succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as Toffees manager this summer.
At one point that seemed likely to be Nuno Espirito Santo and with his close connections to Nunes’s agent Jorge Mendes, a deal would probably have been completed. But of course it wasn’t Santo who eventually got the job.
The Brazilian player does look an exciting prospect who can offer a genuine ball-carrying attacking threat, something Everton lack and really ideally need.
It would be a shame if he went elsewhere to another Premier League club and became a top class player but then that would be typical of Everton’s luck!