NafisaManchester United are reportedly on the verge of finalising a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha, having now secured a complete verbal agreement.
The Red Devils wrapped up a nightmarish season by defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, although the victory did little to ease the pain of their worst-ever Premier League finish.
Ruben Amorim’s side concluded the 2024-25 campaign in a dismal 15th place, prompting an on-pitch apology from the Portuguese after also falling short in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
With no European involvement for 2025-26, United’s summer transfer activity is expected to be severely limited, with their available funds thought to be around £100m unless offset by outgoing sales.
Nonetheless, it appears the Red Devils are ready to part with more than half of that amount, as Fabrizio Romano has given Cunha’s move to Old Trafford his trademark ‘here we go’, confirming a verbal deal is now in place.
Man United ‘agree deal in principle’ for Wolves’ Cunha:
Due to a £62.5m release clause in his Wolves contract, the Midlands club were powerless to stop the Brazil international from entering talks with other suitors once a club activated the clause.
United are expected to pay the £62.5m fee in stages, and Cunha has agreed to a five-year deal at the Theatre of Dreams through to 2030, with an additional option until 2031.
The ex-Atletico Madrid attacker is expected to complete the remaining formalities this week, including signing the contract, before being revealed as United’s first signing of the upcoming transfer window.
Cunha finished the 2024-25 campaign with an impressive 17 goals and six assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, with all but two of those contributions coming in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old exits Wolves with a tally of 33 goals and 15 assists in 92 games since initially joining on loan in January 2023, a move that became permanent for £42m later that year.
Cunha ‘tipped’ to take iconic Man United squad number:
Cunha first wore the number 12 shirt under Vitor Pereira but was handed the number 10 jersey for the 2024-25 season, and Ben Jacobs reports he is expected to inherit the same number at United.
Marcus Rashford is the current holder of the shirt at Old Trafford, but the England forward is widely expected to depart permanently this summer, with Aston Villa, Barcelona, or another side tipped as possible destinations.
Cunha would be the latest in a long line of United icons to wear the No. 10, following in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Denis Law, George Best, and Sir Bobby Charlton.
If everything proceeds as planned, Cunha will become Amorim’s third permanent acquisition as United manager, following January signings Patrick Dorgu from Lecce and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal.
Following Sunday’s win over Villa, United embarked on a post-season tour of Asia, with fixtures against SEAN All-Stars on Wednesday and Hong Kong on Friday.
Nafisa
