Everton are unlikely to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes after appointing Rafael Benitez as their new manager last week, according to Record via Sport Witness.

What's the latest transfer news involving Nunes?

Nunes was reportedly "very close" to moving to Merseyside for around €18m (£15.4m) when the Toffees were looking at appointing Nuno Espirito Santo to succeed Carlo Ancelotti last month.

However, now that Benitez has been given the role, the deal has lost momentum and it appears that Nunes will be moving to a different club this summer rather than going to Goodison Park.

[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2021-04-24/"]

Why might this deal have lost momentum?

It is understood that Gestifute, who also represent Nuno, were involved in the discussions between Nunes and Everton.

Therefore, with these connections in place, it seemed that Nunes would have stood a good chance of joining the club if Nuno had taken the Everton job. 

Benitez is not one of Gestifute's clients, though, and that may explain why this deal is now much further away than it was a few weeks ago.

Paul Pogba's Man United exit gets closer as Chelsea eye Antoine Griezmann! Latest transfer news on The Football Terrace...

What's been said about Nunes?

Nunes had a memorable campaign in 2020/21, featuring in 31 games for Sporting as they won their first league title in 19 years.

Before he moved to the Portuguese capital, he played for Estoril alongside Goncalo Santos, who knows all about the skill set that Nunes possesses.

In June, he sat down with the Liverpool Echo to explain what makes Nunes such a special talent. Santos said: “Matheus is a box-to-box player. He's not so strong like midfielders in the Premier League but he's very fast. He's very good with the ball because he is a Brazilian boy. They know how to play with the ball.

“If you are in the defensive phase and he gets the ball, he can run with it and fire the team 30 yards up the pitch because he is so good in possession.”

Would it be a blow for Everton to miss out on signing Nunes?

It could be.

Nunes is still only 22, but he already has a league title to his name, and could have a very bright future ahead of him.

On the flip side, it should be pointed out that he did actually only start 12 of the 31 league games that he played in this year, indicating that he was more of a back-up option for Sporting and still has plenty of developing to do before he is the final package.

Bearing this in mind, it might be a smart move from Everton to hold off on signing Nunes, and instead go after someone who is proven at the highest level, and has ideally played in the Premier League before so that they take less time to adapt to life in England.