Chelsea are expected to make an offer totalling €50m (£43m) for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes, according to reports in the Portuguese media.

The Blues are said to be looking to pay €45m (£38.5m) up front for the 23-year-old, with another €5m (£4.3m) in performance-related add-ons.

Nunes is a holding midfield player by trade, and it seems likely that he is being considered as a long-term replacement for Jorginho, who has just a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

Sporting came up against Manchester City in last year’s Champions League and Nunes was singled out for praise by manager Pep Guardiola, who said after the 5-0 victory in February:

“Sporting are a fantastic team, they are the champions of Portugal, which have a very strong league, with Porto and Benfica, they change the ball well, they have fast and intelligent players. I would say that Matheus Nunes is one of the best players in the world today.”

Guardiola may have been exaggerating slightly but it’s clear that he does rate the Portuguese international very highly. There have been reports in recent months that City may make a move for the player but it appears Chelsea are the likeliest to secure his signature at the moment.