Liverpool’s midfield rebuild looks to be underway with reports the Reds want to sign Wolves star Matheus Nunes.

The Portugal international was regularly chased by the Merseyside club last summer, before sealing a switch to the Midlands from Sporting Lisbon for a club-record £38million.

But just five months later and with Liverpool continually struggling in the centre of the park this term, they have resumed their interest in the 24-year-old.

As they prepare to come up against their target in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, we turn the spotlight on what Nunes would bring to Jugen Klopp's engine room.

Steady start

Wolves had high hopes for their marquee summer signing, with Liverpool just one of a number of big sides tracking him prior to his move to the West Midlands.

Racking up 101 appearances for Sporting, Nunes was a key part of the Portuguese outfit's title-winning season in 2020-21 as well as their run to the Champions League last 16.

But much like the men from Molineux have done as a whole this term, Nunes has shown flashes of brilliance but struggled to impress on a consistent basis during his first Premier League campaign, managing just a single assist and no goals.

He has still remained an important figure in midfield — starting 13 of their 17 league games thus far — with a shoulder injury and World Cup duty preventing that number from being higher.

Engine room stalling

While the majority of reports suggest Nunes will not arrive at Anfield until the summer should the move materialise, midfield is undoubtedly an area Klopp will want to freshen up.

Their season suffered another disappointing blow with a 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Monday — a game which they were regularly overrun in the centre of the park by the spirited Bees.

After that result, former Reds stalwart Jamie Carragher insisted it is a position his former side have neglected for too long.

He told Sky Sports: "I'm not saying that in terms of that’s the secret to success — there are lots of teams who have shown that doesn’t necessarily work — but Liverpool need to sign maybe three midfield players, I would say. 

"Not necessarily all to play, but Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, even James Milner, they’re all out of contract.

"The age of Thiago who is injured quite a lot, Henderson, Fabinho, I think Liverpool need three midfield players and when you’re talking about real quality you need at least £40-50m on those types of players, I would imagine."

Villa thriller

Days after Liverpool’s interest re-emerged, Nunes put in one of his most eye-catching displays in a Wolves shirt to date during their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The 11-cap international was the driving force behind a dominant first half from the visitors, with a bursting run from midfield almost putting his side 2-0 up but for a fine stop from Emiliano Martinez.

Also creating two chances, completing seven long passes and entering the final third twice from midfield, there was plenty of evidence on show as to why Liverpool may see him as a good option.

Having featured in a more advanced position under former boss Bruno Lage and caretaker Steve Davis, Nunes looked to benefit from being deployed in a No8 position by Julen Lopetegui.

That should have Liverpool’s recruitment team licking their lips, with Klopp largely favouring a three-man with two all-action No8s tasked with pulling the strings.

Time to settle

With Wolves looking a more settled outfit under former Sevilla boss Lopetegui, the hope will be that he can start to produce displays like the one at Villa Park on a regular basis.

Nunes has spoken openly about making 2023 more successful than his first few months in the Black Country.

He said: "I put more pressure on myself because I want to be the best, but I don’t think I did enough. I have the hunger now to get to where I want to be.

"I want to be better than I was in the last six months, and I think these first six months of 2023 are going to be better individually for me. 

"I have that in my mind and I’m pretty sure that I’m going to show that."

Reds watching on

Liverpool will be keeping a close eye on whether he manages to do that.

With any deal likely to be on hold until the summer, the Reds need not rush into the move and can take time to consider whether he is the right fit.

The next few months of Premier League action is the time for Nunes to prove he is capable of having a transformative effect on the Anfield giants' ailing midfield.