Manchester United have confirmed a move for Matheus Cunha, and it’s one that inspires some confidence for the season ahead.
After a disastrous Premier League season with a 15th-placed finish, Manchester United need to reset this summer.
Straight out of the gates, United have come out strong by announcing an agreement to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
The £62.5 million move for Cunha is one of the earliest United deals in recent memory, a serious statement of intent.
It is also a rare deal for another reason. Manchester United do not frequently sign top level Premier League attackers.
Matheus Cunha is one of the Premier League’s best
Gone are the days Manchester United can easily swoop on the Premier League’s best, at relatively affordable prices.
Sir Alex Ferguson was able to create his Treble team with a £7 million move for Andy Cole, a £3.5 million deal for Teddy Sheringham, and Dwight Yorke at £12.6 million.
While the Yorke and Cole deals were still costly at the time, United were able to get the deals done. That has not always been possible in recent years.
More evenly spread television money, combined with United’s lack of dominance has made deals within the Premier League tough to do.
Highlighted by a summer where United spent £50 million for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and £80 million for Harry Maguire in 2019, the club have frequently looked elsewhere since.
This has led to United buying strikers from Serie A, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, or a free transfer, Edinson Cavani.
While Hojlund was a significant cost, United decided this was a better value option than spending £100 million on Harry Kane.
This makes United’s move to sign Matheus Cunha particularly intriguing, with the club returning to focus on proven Premier League options.
Cunha was one of the Premier League’s best players in 2024/25, scoring 15 goals and 17 in all competitions, while also adding a further six assists.
Manchester United’s two previous deals for top level Premier League attackers
Over the past 13 years, Manchester United have only paid fees to sign two forwards who could be considered top level, proven Premier League forwards.
Romelu Lukaku: Manchester United spent big to sign Romelu Lukaku in 2017, paying £75 million to Everton, per BBC Sport.
Lukaku had scored double-figures in goals in the five consecutive preceding seasons, and netted 25 goals in 37 games in 2016/17. His record for Everton was 87 goals in 166 appearances.
The Belgian lasted only two seasons at Manchester United, scoring 42 goals in 96 games, losing his starting place under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was appointed as Jose Mourinho’s replacement midway through his second season.
Lukaku has had a mixed spell since his 2019 exit, starring for Inter, struggling at Chelsea, before recently featuring for Roma and Napoli.
Robin van Persie: The move for Lukaku underwhelmed in comparison to his price tag. But the move Manchester United made in 2012 certainly did not.
Sir Alex Ferguson raided rivals Arsenal to sign Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie for just £24 million, with the Dutchman in the final season of his contract.
Van Persie scored the goals to fire United to win the league in Ferguson’s final season, earning a guard of honour from former club Arsenal late in the season.
Ferguson’s retirement ended up shortening Van Persie’s success, he was not the same player under David Moyes or Louis van Gaal, but for one year it really was the perfect transfer.
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