Liverpool boss Arne Slot has given his seal of approval to Manchester United’s potential signing of Matheus Cunha. The Wolves forward has been making waves this season despite his team’s struggle against relegation and looks set for a blockbuster summer move.
Cunha has not been shy about his ambition to leave Molineux, even going as far as to declare his intention to “follow my dreams” in a now-removed Instagram post. The former Atletico Madrid star has attracted attention from several of England’s top five clubs, including United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa. According to Fabrizio Romano, United are closing in on an agreement with Cunha’s representatives, with discussions said to be at an advanced stage.
Given Slot’s previous praise for the Brazilian, he may be left feeling disappointed if Liverpool fail to secure his services.
Back in February, when asked about Cunha – who has netted 14 goals and provided four assists in 28 Premier League games this season – Slot was full of praise.
He said: “Matheus Cunha is a quality player. He has the quality to play for one of the top five teams in England.
“If you go to the Dutch league and look at the team in 17th place, there is no player who could play for Ajax, PSV or Feyenoord.”
Just days after Slot’s comments, Cunha managed to score at Molineux, but his efforts were in vain as Liverpool secured a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
United are believed to be considering moves for both Cunha and Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.
However, the Red Devils will likely need to offload some of their current forwards, including loaned-out stars Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony.
Ruben Amorim’s lacklustre attack has resulted in the club potentially ending the Premier League season with a negative goal difference for the second year running.
It is believed that Cunha has a £62.5 million release clause in his Wolves contract, which United reportedly plan to pay in instalments.
Should the Red Devils decide to meet that figure, it would mark the first time the club has spent over £60m on a player since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a minority owner.
United have had a challenging campaign in the Premier League this year and are set to finish in the bottom half for the first time in the Premier League era.
Their only chance of redemption lies in the Europa League, in which glory would secure them a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Despite the potential of United being eliminated in the semi-finals by Athletic Bilbao, Amorim remains confident that players will still be attracted to the club.
He recently stated: “It’s Manchester United. What I feel is that there are a lot of players who want to play for our club.
“I know that if you look at our club in the moment, with all the problems with the staff, people going, changing coach, the results – it looks like a little bit of a problem.
“But we have a clear idea. That is the easiest part to explain to a player. And then it’s Manchester United. Everybody wants to play for Manchester United.”
When questioned about whether Cunha is on United’s radar, Amorim responded: “I will not say anything about Matheus, because if I say one time, I will have to say for any situation that is yes or no.
“So I will not comment about that. It’s hard to predict what is going to happen in the future.”