Man United two transfers away from unleashing Ruben Amorim wish with £62.5m swap deal

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A large chunk of Manchester United's transfer business in the summer will rest on how shrewd Ruben Amorim and the recruitment team at Carrington can be.

Last summer, United spent close to £200million on improving Erik ten Hag's team with Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui all arriving. The five signings came after the sales of Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

This year, United find themselves in a similar boat. From the outside looking in, five new arrivals would be classed as good business for Amorim's team but player exits and smartly-devised financial packages will be key.

Swap deals, free agents and transfer-listed players are all routes in signing players in the window. This week, Amorim admitted that he wanted 'one or two' big signings through the door in the summer and there could be scope to land one of their long-term targets.

Matheus Cunha has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for some time and his performances for Wolves have single-handedly kept them afloat of the relegation zone. After joining from Atletico Madrid in 2023, the Brazilian is one of the big names expected to be on the move in the summer.

(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

In January, he snubbed a move away from Molineux and signed a new contract with Wolves, which involves a £62.5m release clause. During an interview with The Guardian recently, Cunha revealed his ambition to move on in the summer. "I had a lot of offers, but I wouldn't feel well if I had done it [moved]," he said.

"Some things you can’t control but I couldn’t leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone. Now, we’re close to achieving our goal [of staying up].

"But I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential."

With United seeming to accept losing out on Viktor Gyokeres, a move for Cunha could be on the cards. Fortunately for United, they could solve two issues with one deal following reports that Wolves have registered a serious interest in Jadon Sancho.

As it's been well-documented in recent weeks, Sancho's future at Chelsea isn't as clear as first seemed. Reports have suggested that Enzo Maresca's men could pull out of their permanent option to sign the winger at the end of the season should they pay a £5million fee.

That would be the worst-case scenario for United with Sancho not expected to integrate back into the thinking at Carrington. Fortunately, Wolves are thought to be keen with Football Transfers claiming they are planning to spend the money raised through Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri's potential sales.

Because of how Financial Fair Play works, a simple swap deal between the two clubs that would see Cunha move to United and Sancho relocate in the Black Country would not work. However, there's nothing stopping the two negotiating two transfers that pleases all parties - which would likely leave Amorim very pleased.

It remains to be seen how strong the reports of Wolves' interest in Sancho is. What is music to the ears of United supporters is the fact that Wolves are planning for the future without Cunha.

It's down to them to take the initiative and sign the Brazilian.

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