Former Wolves striker Jay Bothroyd backs Matheus Nunes over strike ahead of Man City move

Last week Wolves rejected a £47m bid for Nunes, who only arrived at the club last summer.

The midfielder then went on strike and refused to train in a bid to force through a move - and now he looks to have got his wish after the clubs agreed a £53m deal.

Nunes has been given permission to travel to Manchester for a medical, and Bothroyd, who netted 13 goals in 60 games for Wolves, believes Nunes will go on to bigger and better things.

He said: "To be honest, I don't see it as such a bad thing. People in the media will say it is not professional, but it is a dream move to play for the best manager in the world, and sometimes you have to put your foot down to make it happen.

"If it doesn't happen then you can look an idiot, but in this case he has got his move and will go on to bigger and better things.

"100 per cent I would have tried to make it happen, these opportunities to win things every season don't come around all the time.

"When you look at other sports it happens a lot in the NBA, where players say they are not playing to push a move and I don't think it is a bad thing.

"We haven't seen it a lot in the Premier League but players are doing it more and more."

The fee is a club-record sale at Molineux after late re-negotiations last night saw Wolves push for more than the previously verbal agreement of just over £47m.

The fee for the 25-year-old Portugal international includes a 10 per cent sell-on fee for Wolves for any future profit City make on the midfielder.

The former striker believes Wolves were in a position where they had to sell the midfielder.

He added: "They had to sell him, from a club point of view you don't want a player who doesn't want to be there and his heart is not in it.

"They are in a tough position where they need a team spirit and players 100 per cent in it."