Manchester United are set to sign Brazil international Matheus Cunha after meeting the £62.5 million (A$130.9 million) buyout clause in his Wolves contract, British media reported on Wednesday.
The Red Devils have moved swiftly to begin an overhaul of Ruben Amorim’s squad after their worst season since the English giants were relegated 51 years ago.
United finished 15th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, meaning they failed to qualify for European competition next season.
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The BBC reported United will pay the fee in three instalments over the next two years after Wolves rejected a proposal to split the payment over five years.
Cunha scored 17 goals to help haul Wolves out of a relegation battle as they finished behind United only on goal difference in the Premier League table.
However, the 26-year-old has made no secret of his desire to move on from Molineux.
“I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step,” Cunha told the Guardian in March.
“I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
United are also willing to meet the £30 million (A$62.8m) buyout clause for Ipswich striker Liam Delap, according to an ESPN report.
The England under-21 international scored 12 Premier League goals last season but is expected to move after Ipswich were relegated back to the Championship.
Delap, though, is also attracting interest from Chelsea.
Amorim warned this week that United’s ability to make drastic changes could be impacted by having to meet financial sustainability rules.
Chief executive Omar Berrada said the club had to be “prudent” but can still be ambitious in the transfer window.
“We have a very clear idea of where we need to invest in the squad to improve, so (technical director) Jason (Wilcox), his team and Ruben have been in talks for many months,” Berrada told MUTV.
“Now it’s a question of executing that plan and doing it in a way that is prudent but at the same time with ambition.”
Despite apologising for a “disaster” of a season, Amorim told supporters after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa that “good days” will return shortly to Old Trafford.
Berrada echoed that sentiment.
“I’m very excited about what’s coming ahead of us,” he added. “Like Ruben said, now we just need to work really hard as a unit, as a club and I’m sure the good days will be back.”
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Liam Delap is closing in on a move to Chelsea, talkSPORT understands. Delap has given the green light to a switch to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea are confident he will sign.
The England Under-21 striker, who has a £30 million (A$62.8m) release clause in his Ipswich contract, has also held talks with both Manchester United and Newcastle as well as Everton. Delap was believed to be leaning towards a switch to United but Chelsea have the trump card of being able to offer Champions League football. The Blues secured it with a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Premier League campaign as they finished fourth.
As for United, defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham ensured they not only missed out on next season’s Champions League, but European football altogether.
Should the move eventuate, it would herald a reunion with Blues boss Enzo Maresca.
The Italian previously worked with Delap at Manchester City, where the latter spent five years after signing aged 16.
He will also compete with incumbent striker Nicolas Jackson for the starting berth.
Delap is preparing to join up with the England under-21 squad following the end of the Premier League season.
He has been named in Lee Carsley’s squad for a pre-tournament training camp at St. George’s Park.
The Young Lions boss will then name his final squad for the Euros in Slovakia on June 6 ahead of their opening match against the Czech Republic six days later.
Delap is fresh from scoring 12 goals in 37 league appearances for the Tractor Boys.
His tally comes despite Ipswich suffering an immediate relegation back to the Championship after finishing 19th.
Ollie Watkins, Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen were the only English players to score more Premier League goals than Delap this term.
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna previously revealed before his side’s final match of the season that Delap had permission to speak to other clubs.
The Northern Irishman told reporters: “Liam’s looking at his options for next year, which I think he is entitled to do and we support him with that.
“I think we have given him permission to do that this week. It’s a very important decision for his future. Of course there is a lot of interest – and rightly so. I think part of his week has been having some of those conversations.
“It looks more likely than not that he will move on this summer and he has interest from pretty much every club in the league, and I don’t think there are many clubs in the world who wouldn’t want to have him.“Nothing is sorted, nothing is done or completed or even very, very, very close, so that process will take its course.”
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Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr have made Liverpool forward Luis Diaz their top summer transfer target, talkSPORT understands.
Liverpool are aware of Al Nassr’s interest in the Colombian, who has been pushing for a new contract at Anfield.
Diaz signed from Porto in January 2022 for £37.5 million (A$78.6m) on a six-year deal and has attracted transfer interest during a fine Premier League-winning campaign.
The 28-year-old has been regularly linked to LaLiga sides Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with even his father talking up a move to Spain.
Yet Nassr’s interest comes at an interesting time, with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo hinting at a potential departure.
The 40-year-old ended another season trophyless in the Middle East, and posted a cryptic message on social media after the final game of the campaign.
“This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all,” he wrote.
His statement came after FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed ‘there are discussions’ over Ronaldo playing at the Club World Cup – a competition Al Nassr haven’t qualified for.
Diaz, meanwhile, was Liverpool’s second most productive player in their title-winning campaign, registering a career best 13 goals and five assists.
He also earned repeated praise from Arne Slot who brought out the player’s versatility, utilising him as a centre forward on occasion.
Liverpool are set for a big summer in the transfer market, already securing Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong to replace the departing Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The club are also trying to secure his Leverkusen teammate Florian Wirtz, who has just been voted Bundesliga Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Liverpool previously secured some big incomings from the Saudi Pro League, selling Fabinho to Al Ittihad for £40m and Jordan Henderson to Al Ettifaq for £12m in 2023.
Yet those deals coincided with interest around club legend Mohamed Salah, who eventually signed a new contract in the spring.
Reflecting on his negotiations, Salah recently told On Sport: “I thought it was a good opportunity. My contract was up at Liverpool and I would have gone to Saudi but we finalised the deal with Liverpool.
“And I still have a good relationship with them and I always stay in contact with them. Yes, we were talking to each other.
“I don’t know what is going to happen but I am happy here in Liverpool and I am staying here for the next two years. Then I will see what I will do next.” “I will stop playing when I have that feeling but if you ask me for my opinion, I think I can play until the age of 39 or 40,” Salah added.“But if I felt before that I wanted to stop, I would quit. I have achieved a lot of things.”
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