Liverpool have reportedly reignited their interest in Matheus Nunes and are weighing up a £44m swoop for the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder.
The Portugal international was heavily linked with a move to Anfield during the summer transfer window, but Jurgen Klopp's side decided against spending big on a new lynchpin.
Still determined to test himself in the Premier League, Nunes became the latest Portuguese player to arrive at Wolves, who paid €45m (£39.8m) to bring the 24-year-old to the club from Sporting Lisbon.
Nunes has one assist to show from 14 Premier League games for Julen Lopetegui's side, and he is under contract at Molineux until 2027 with an option to extend for an additional 12 months.
However, Nunes's efforts have not been able to prevent Wolves' slide down the table, with Lopetegui's men sat 19th in the rankings after taking just 13 points from 17 games.
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Should Wolves drop back down to the Championship, Nunes would not be expected to remain at Molineux, and The Telegraph claims that Liverpool are now considering a move.
The report states that a particular agreement was struck with Wolves, where Nunes would be allowed to move to another Premier League club when he adapted to English football.
Liverpool could supposedly complete a £44m deal during the current window, but Nunes would remain at Wolves until the end of the current campaign before making the switch to Anfield.
After a move for Nunes did not materialise in the summer, the Reds are said to have made a promise to try again for the Wolves man, who previously played a key role in Sporting's 2020-21 Primeira Liga title win.
With all of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner potentially leaving on free transfers at the end of the season, as well as Arthur returning to parent club Juventus, Liverpool are set to prioritise a move for a new midfielder in 2023.
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The Reds are likely to be one of several sides engaged in a bidding war for £130m-rated Jude Bellingham, although Enzo Fernandez is now thought to be edging closer to a move to Chelsea.
Liverpool have already brought in Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven this month, but Klopp has warned fans that his side cannot treat the January window like a game of Monopoly and splash the cash.
"I am now here seven years and it is every window is pretty much the same; we talk about these things as though money didn't play a role," Klopp told reporters on Sunday.
"It is never like this. We sign an outstanding player like Cody Gakpo and then you read about the next player. We cannot play like Monopoly. Of course we cannot just spend and never could.
"It is clear that you need real quality in all positions and two teams with the same level that you can rotate but people are surprised when we say we cannot start splashing the cash. If there is something we can do and that means right player and financial situation, we will do it."
Liverpool suffered another setback in their Champions League pursuit in a 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Monday, and their next game sees them kick off the defence of their FA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday's third-round clash at Anfield.
Ben Knapton
