According to reports, Liverpool ‘stepped away’ from signing Manchester United-bound Matheus Cunha from Wolves for three key reasons.
Cunha was one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season as he helped Wolves move clear of the relegation zone.
The Brazil international narrowly missed out on our Premier League team of the season after grabbing 15 goals and six assists in his 33 appearances.
The versatile forward recently signed a new long-term contract, but a summer exit is inevitable due to his £62.5m release clause after Wolves retained his value.
Cunha has been linked with several Premier League clubs, but it’s emerged that Man Utd are leading the race to sign him from Wolves.
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He would fit perfectly into Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system as one of Man Utd’s No.10s and this would be a statement signing amid the significant interest from elsewhere.
Earlier this week, Man Utd and Wolves butted heads over the structure of payments, but an agreement was eventually reached as the Red Devils ‘met the terms’.
It is now only a matter of time before this deal is finalised, with journalist Ben Jacobs providing an update on Thursday night. He tweeted: “All on track with Matheus Cunha’s move to Man United.
“Regardless of when the deal is announced, Cunha’s contract may not start until July 1 to allow United to place the first instalment on the next financial year.
“Cunha waiting on a visa before undergoing his #MUFC medical.”
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As mentioned, other clubs were in the running to sign Cunha and a report from The Daily Mail claims Liverpool ‘considering getting involved in conversations’ as he ‘won a host of admirers in the stands at Anfield when Wolves visited in the spring’.
However, Liverpool decided to ‘pull out’ as club chiefs were ‘not 100% convinced’ for three key reasons.
The report revealed:
‘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.
‘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.’
For these reasons, it is also noted that Cunha’s imminent move to Man Utd ‘should not cause sleepless nights or leave the sense that Liverpool have missed out on a jewel’ and he did not make ‘big financial demands’ to FSG, as a deal ‘never reached that stage’.
