Man City close to Matheus Nunes transfer as youngster set for Wolves move

Manchester City are closing in on their fourth summer signing, with Matheus Nunes expected to join from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Premier League champions have verbally agreed a €55m (£47.2m) fee with Wolves for the Portugal international, but no official bid has been made yet. The transfer is a straight fee with no add-ons, and it is expected to be concluded before Friday's deadline.

Meanwhile, Tommy Doyle has agreed to move in the opposite direction on a year-long loan, with a £5m option for Wolves to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. As part of that arrangement, a significant sell-on percent of any future transfer has been agreed. Wolves are also set to pay all of the young midfielder's wages.

The moves are seen as separate in the eyes of the club, with Doyle not viewed as a makeweight for Nunes' arrival at the Etihad.

The decision to sign another midfielder was made after Kevin De Bruyne sustained a long-term hamstring injury that could keep him out of action until the new year. City initially identified Lucas Paqueta as the club's primary midfield target, but betting allegations in his homeland scuppered the Brazilian's potential switch to the Blues.

City then turned their attention to Nunes, while Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze was also considered. Pep Guardiola's side insisted they would not overpay for the Wolves star, who skipped training in an effort to push through a deal.

Gary O'Neil claimed on Tuesday night that he expected the ex-Sporting Lisbon man to remain at Molineux this season, but less than 24 hours later Wolves had agreed a deal to sell Nunes. The 25-year-old is now set to join Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku as City's summer signings.

As for Doyle, this is set to be his fourth loan move following previous stints at Hamburg, Cardiff City and Sheffield United. At the latter, the England Under-21 international scored the winning goal in the FA Cup quarter-final against Blackburn Rovers, setting up a semi-final tie with City at Wembley. Doyle also played 33 times in the league as the Blades secured promotion to the Premier League.