Matheus Cunha transfer 'rows' at Man Utd jeopardise club's summer negotiations
All signs suggest Matheus Cunha is set to join Manchester United this summer, but there have been some hiccups in negotiations threatening to unravel the transfer
Alan Shearer has expressed worries about the "rows" between Manchester United and Wolves concerning Matheus Cunha's potential transfer to Old Trafford. It's been indicated for some time that the Brazil international will be joining United, but recent hiccups have emerged that could jeopardise the move.
Talks accelerated this week after United triggered the £62.5million release clause in Cunha's contract. However, Sky Sports reported Vitor Pereira's team had rejected the Red Devils' offer to split the payment across five instalments.
Ruben Amorim has been braced to enter his first summer transfer window at the United helm with limited resources. And funding is sure to suffer further after their defeat against Tottenham in the Europa League final, leaving the club with no European football next season.
United now need to sell certain players before they can afford to spend any significant sums. And Newcastle legend Shearer raised doubts regarding United's prospects of securing Cunha amid recent developments.
"Who they sell, I don't know. If they need to raise funds then they have a couple of options to do that," he told Betfair. "It looks as if the Cunha deal is going to happen albeit I saw that there's rows in terms of how payments will be made."
The transfer saga seems to have taken a positive turn after United agreed to shell out the £62.5m fee in three payments spread over two years. Cunha is now poised to have his medical at Carrington, potentially marking United's most significant acquisition of 2025.
The former RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid attacker has an impressive record of 33 goals in 92 games for Wolves and offers much-needed versatility up top. Meanwhile, Shearer has cautioned that there's still a hefty amount of squad rebuilding necessary before United can dream of fighting for a top-six finish again.
He continued: "Man United need an overhaul but it won't happen in one or two transfer windows and that's why, as a player, you have to think long and hard about needing or wanting to go there because it's going to take two or three years to get anywhere near the levels to challenge for the top six again.
"If funds are going to be tight due to PSR then their assets in [Alejandro] Garnacho and [Bruno] Fernandes may have to be sold to bring funds in. Nothing surprises me with Man United on or off the field anymore because they've been an embarrassment over the last 12 months."
Cunha himself has dropped a big hint he's preparing to leave after seemingly bidding farewell to his Wolves supporters. The club's official Instagram account featured a clip of the Molineux faithful serenading the star following their last game of the campaign, and Cunha's response seemed to indicate plans for departure.
"I can't thank you enough for so much," he wrote in the comments section. And many have interpreted his words as an indication his tenure in the midlands is nearing its conclusion.
Garnacho, 20, has been placed on the transfer list following a fallout with Amorim, who excluded him from the squad that beat Aston Villa on the final day of the season. There's talk United are aiming to bag up to £70m for the youngster, although their negotiating stance seems frail.
United will undoubtedly be keener to cling on to captain Fernandes, who was previously rumoured to be on the radars of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Meanwhile, a move to Saudi Arabia now appears to be the most probable outcome if he were to depart.
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