Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v Brentford FC - Premier League
Matheus Cunha has agreed to join Manchester United this summer (Picture: Getty)
Matheus Cunha has agreed a five-year contract with Manchester United and already chosen his shirt number ahead of his move to Old Trafford, according to reports.
Ruben Amorim has made Brazilian playmaker Cunha one of his top targets for this summer as he desperately looks to get United back challenging for trophies.
Manchester United finished 15th in the Premier League after a disastrous campaign and were beaten in the Europa League final by domestic rivals Tottenham.
The Red Devils began working on a deal for Cunha last month and are set to win the race to sign the Brazil international from Wolves.
London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea expressed interest in Cunha in January but the 25-year-old is now heading to the Theatre of Dreams.
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Cunha has enjoyed three productive seasons at Molineux for a Wolves team that have largely been in the bottom-half of the Premier League, even slipping into a relegation scrap earlier in the season.
A deal for Cunha has been all but agreed and Manchester United are now ready to approach Wolves and activate his £62.5m release clause.
Manchester United FC v Aston Villa FC - Premier League
Ruben Amorim is set to welcome Cunha to Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)
talkSPORT say Cunha has agreed a five-year deal at Old Trafford and chosen to take the No. 10 shirt, currently worn by Marcus Rashford.
Amorim sanctioned Rashford’s loan move to Aston Villa in January and is ready to sell the England international on a permanent transfer this summer.
It remains to be seen whether Villa decide to keep Rashford, especially after Unai Emery’s side missed out on the Champions League, but a return to United appears off the table while Amorim is still in charge.
Rashford has admirers from across Europe, with Barcelona recently confirming their interest in the Manchester United academy graduate.
Manchester City FC v Aston Villa FC - Premier League
Marcus Rashford is on his way out of Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
After completing a deal for Cunha, United are expected to turn their attentions to a new striker and specifically Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.
Delap, who has also been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal, has a release clause of £30m following Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship.
Cunha played in Wolves’ final Premier League game of the season on Sunday – a 1-1 draw at home to Brentford – and appeared to bid farewell to the club’s fans after the match.
Manchester United concluded a miserable 2024-25 campaign with a surprising 2-0 win over Aston Villa before the club announced three first-team departures.
Gary Neville endorses Man Utd move for Cunha
Old Trafford legend Gary Neville has been among those to praised United’s potential deal for Cunha.
He told Sky Sports: ‘They’re desperate in that position, he would suit the system.
‘They’ve let Jadon Sancho, Antony and Marcus Rashford go, they’re playing with Garnacho at the moment but that leaves them lopsided.
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v Brentford FC - Premier League
Cunha has impressed for Premier League club Wolves (Picture: Getty)
‘They need someone who can beat players, someone who is equally as good at running through the middle with the ball. They need to score goals, Manchester United.’
Neville’s former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes added: ‘He looks like he’s got the attributes that Ruben Amorim wants.
‘He knows that physically, his team are just not strong or quick enough, so Matheus Cunha is obviously athletic, and he’s got quality with 15 league goals this season.
‘I just worry for any signing coming to Manchester United at the minute. It just feels like it’s such a bad place to go.
‘The quality of play right now is so poor. And with Cunha, is he a centre-forward or is he a wide player?
‘There’s no doubt that he has quality and of course, it would be nice to sign him, but I worry about where he fits in.
‘You can sign the best three players in the world, and I think they’ll struggle coming into this team at the minute, but they’ve got to start somewhere.’
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