Everton reach agreement with Sporting CP over £15m Matheus Nunes deal

Everton have reached an agreement to sign Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes for a fee of around £15m.

The Toffees have been chasing Matheus for a while now and saw reports of their interest increase when Nuno Espirito Santo was tipped to become the club's new manager. The focus is now on Rafa Benitez, but that interest in Matheus still remains.

Having failed with a bid to take Matheus on loan next season, A Bola claim that Everton have now agreed to meet Sporting's demands to bring the 22-year-old to Goodison Park this summer, paying £15m up front with a further £1.5m in add-ons.

It's now said to be just a matter of time before the deal is closed, with all the major details already agreed upon.

Everton have already agreed personal terms with Matheus, whose annual salary will jump from £170,000 to £1m if he moves to Goodison.

2020/21 was Matheus' breakthrough year at Sporting. The 22-year-old Brazilian made 39 appearances for the Portuguese side, chipping in with three goals and two assists despite not always being a regular starter.

He ended the season with 12 starts in the league, but despite his limited minutes, he appears to have done enough to earn himself a big-money move to Everton.

Should the move go through as expected, Matheus will compete for minutes with Abdoulaye Doucoure as a ball-carrying midfielder. The Toffees capitulated across March and April when Doucoure was out injured, winning just one of their seven games without him in the squad.

Matheus' role in the squad will be up to whoever gets the nod in the dugout at Goodison. Benitez is thought to be towards the front of the queue but reports elsewhere have linked Roberto Martinez with a return.

Everton hope to make a decision soon to give their manager as much time as possible to prepare for the new season, and it looks like Matheus could be the first signing of whoever wins the race.

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