Chelsea are reportedly preparing to submit a proposal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes.
In light of defenders and forwards departing Stamford Bridge over the past month, Chelsea's focus has been on trying to find replacements in those areas of the pitch.
However, head coach Thomas Tuchel is aware that he may soon have to strengthen in midfield, partly due to a number of regulars moving the wrong side of 30.
Furthermore, those players in question - Jorginho and N'Golo Kante - each have less than a year remaining on their respective contracts.
While Chelsea may eventually agree fresh terms with at least one of those players, it would come as a surprise if the Blues do not try to freshen up their options in the centre of the pitch.
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According to A Bola, the Premier League outfit may be prepared to meet Sporting's asking price for Nunes over the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old has emerged as a key man at the Portuguese outfit, making 31 appearances in Primeira Liga during 2020-21 as his side ended a prolonged wait to win another league title.
Although Sporting only finished as runners-up to Porto during the last campaign, Nunes further enhanced his reputation and started earning more game time with his national team.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been strongly linked with signing Nunes this summer, the West Midlands outfit seemingly being prepared to break their transfer record to win the race for his signature.
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However, as well as Wolves yet to generate the funds required through the sale of Ruben Neves, it has been widely claimed that Nunes is not tempted to make the switch to Molineux.
That has allegedly opened the door for Chelsea with owner Todd Boehly having already held discussions with super-agent Jorge Mendes in recent weeks.
While those talks are believed to have been centred around the potential acquisition of Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the pair would have also assessed other opportunities in the market.
The report suggests that Chelsea are prepared to pay £43m to sign Nunes, a player who still has four years remaining on his contract at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Chelsea are also said to be hoping to wrap up a deal for Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling before the end of the week.
Darren Plant
