Manchester United won the battle to sign Matheus Cunha at the beginning of the summer window, with Liverpool one of the clubs reportedly interested in him.
Manchester United have finalised the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, with the forward set to officially complete the transfer later this week.
The 26-year-old recently featured for Brazil during the international break, where he delivered the decisive assist in their 1-0 win over Paraguay.
Cunha impressed in the Premier League last season, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists, and is seen as a key addition to revitalise United’s attacking lineup.
Despite being without European football for next season, United managed to convince Cunha of a move over multiple other suitors.
Why Liverpool withdrew from Cunha race
Arsenal were one of the club’s with known interest in Cunha after attempting to sign him in the January window. Liverpool’s admiration of the player was also well-documented in recent months.
However, according to a recent report from MailSport, there were three main reasons why the Merseyside club decided to withdraw from the race to sign Cunha.
“They chose to step away as they are well stocked in that area and they were not 100 per cent convinced about where and how he would fit into the squad. Also, the record-breaking pursuit of Florian Wirtz has become the No 1 priority,” they wrote.
“This would not be the first time that a much-discussed target among fans has not ended up coming to Merseyside despite the fact a move would have been popular.”
Liverpool look like they have managed to secure their preferred target, with Wirtz set to join them for over £120 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
Cunha and Mbeumo helping transfers
United eventually won the battle for Cunha, who made it obvious early on that his preference was to move to Old Trafford regardless of whether they were in Europe or not.
It has been similar with the pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo, with the Brentford star communicating his desire to join United early on – stopping any potential bidding war with Newcastle or Spurs.
The only difference is that United were able to secure Cunha quickly since there was no need for club-to-club negotiations with a £62.5 million release clause. United are dealing with Brentford and trying to reach an agreement.
There’s no denying that it would be a lot more difficult if those conversations were being made without the player coming out and explaining that he wants the move.
For the fans, it also helps to hear that these players are desperate to play for the club and that’s exactly what Amorim wants too.
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