Man City and Nottingham Forest could be set for stunning player transfer swap as Pep Guardiola begins to re-shape squad
MATHEUS NUNES could be off to Nottingham Forest — sparking an all-change summer at the Etihad.
And that could grease the wheels for Manchester City’s hopes of moving Morgan Gibbs-White, 25, in the opposite direction.
Nunes, 26, is on the wish list for Forest chief Nuno Espirito Santo, who is a big fan of the £53million Portuguese midfielder.
City sources claim they would be prepared to cut their losses and let Nunes go for around £35m.
A deal for England midfielder Gibbs-White would cost almost double that and Nunes could prove a useful bargaining chip.
Nunes has played 25 times in the Premier League this season, including 18 starts.
Many of his appearances have come as a full-back, rather than in midfield.
Last month, Pep Guardiola raised eyebrows by claiming that Nunes was not “clever enough” to play in the middle of the park.
The 54-year-old said of Nunes after his side’s 0-0 bore draw with Manchester United: “He can become a good right-back for his physicality.
“I think he’s not a player to play in midfield because he’s not clever enough, in the composure, but he has incredible skills and he’s learning a lot.
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“The big mistake of full-backs is when you have the cross to the far post where you are, they are always sleeping.
“But he defended really well two or three crosses, like when Bruno [Fernandes] put it to the far post for [Patrick] Dorgu.
“He has the attention and the physicality to do it, so he can play in that position and help us a lot.”
Gibbs-White, meanwhile, has excelled at Forest this season.
The 25-year-old has scored seven goals and laid on 10 assists in 33 Prem outings.
His performances have earned him a place in Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad.