Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes was arrested during the September international break on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone in a Madrid nightclub, according to reports in Spain.

The 26-year-old is understood to have been held by Spanish authorities after being accused of taking a mobile phone from a 58-year-old man without permission.

Spanish daily El Mundo (via Mail Online) report that Nunes was handcuffed after being found in possession of the phone by police, having snatched it in a heated exchange.

It’s claimed that Nunes, who was taken to a local police station for questioning before being released, is expected to face charges and potentially a trial over the incident.

Nunes was not called up by Portugal for the September internationals after failing to establish himself as a regular fixture in Pep Guardiola’s midfield.

Indeed, the 26-year-old, a £53m signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023, has played just 851 minutes of Premier League football for the club – the equivalent of less than ten full matches.

He has been a more regular fixture in cup competitions, opening the scoring for City in their recent 2-1 win over Watford in the third round of the Carabao Cup, and played the full 90 minutes on Tuesday as the eight-time Premier League champions thumped Slovan Bratislava 4-0 on matchday two of the Champions League.

Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden were on the scoresheet for City after returning to the starting lineup, with goals from Erling Haaland and James McAtee putting the game beyond doubt in the second half.

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