Matheus Cunha is in negotiations to leave Wolves for Manchester United in a £62.5million transfer this summer and is believed to have agreed his part in a move to Old Trafford - but Wolves chief Vitor Pereira is convinced he's still on board
Wolves manager Vitor Pereira has admitted that he doesn't know if Matheus Cunha is joining Manchester United - but is convinced he remains committed at Molineux. Cunha has been strongly linked with a big-money move to United when the summer transfer window opens, yet has continued to play for Wolves in recent weeks.
United are desperate to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee having struggled to find the back of the net. Cunha is expected to leave Wolves for Old Trafford, with the club also pursuing Ipswich Town star Liam Delap in a £30million move.
The Brazilian forward has a £62.5m release clause, which was written into a new contract that runs until June 2029 amid interest back in January. He has scored 17 goals and provided six assists in 34 games for Wolves this season and is understood to be sold on joining United, even if they lose the Europa League final and fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.
United and the 25-year-old have agreed on all but the finer points of his move, and the Red Devils are also working on the structure of the deal with Wolves. But speaking ahead of Wolves' match against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday night, Pereira kept his cards close to his chest.
"I have the same information as you, I really don’t know!" he insisted when asked about Cunha. "I just know he is my player, he is committed with the team, he is working with happiness and we will see what happens."
When pressed on whether Cunha wants to stay at Molineux, Pereira added: "You must ask him, but I feel he is happy."
Mirror Football understands that Ruben Amorim would play Cunha as one of his two No.10s in his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation next season. That is why they are also chasing Delap, who has 12 Premier League goals this season playing as a more conventional centre-forward.
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While he has impressed on the pitch, Cunha has had a tumultuous campaign off it, having clashed with Wolves fans online and served a four-game ban for clashing with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez. He made it clear he wanted to leave Wolves in January before signing a new contract which at least ensures his club will be compensated this summer.
"I've made it clear that I need to take the next step," he said. "I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential."
For his part, Amorim has remained quiet in public about the pending transfer, which could go through shortly after the window opens on June 1. “I will not say nothing about Matheus, because if I say I have to say 'yes' or 'no' and not comment on that,” he said last month.
“We have to focus on this season and the way we prepare for next season could change in these games, so it's difficult to predict what can happen in the future.”