Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Former ‘untouchable’ target available for simple Man Utd transfer as Atletico set for ‘turmoil’ in January

Matheus Cunha, Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid, October 2022

Manchester United could complete the simple snare of ‘untouchable’ Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha due to issues at the Spanish side.

Erik ten Hag set about transforming the United squad he took on over the summer. Indeed, he shelled around £200million on some new talent for his squad.

Star names such as Antony and Casemiro were among the four permanent transfers the Dutch manager made.

Those players, along with Lisandro Martinez, have all had big impacts on the side. Tyrell Malacia has fallen out of favour of late, but is by no means out of the picture.

It seems Ten Hag has struck the right balance with the signings he has made, alongside those that were already at the club.

The manager could have had another prised asset to add to the list of quality signings he made. Indeed, Ten Hag wanted to snare Atletico striker Cunha.

The Brazilian had contributed to 13 goals in all competitions last season. Some reports suggested United were closing in on the signing of Cunha.

However, Atletico apparently saw the striker as ‘untouchable’ and no deal was done.

Cunha up for grabs in simple transfer

However, since then, the situation at Atletico has changed. The Spanish side now need to raise funds, given they did not make it through to the Champions League knockouts.

Marca reports that Joao Felix and Rodrigo De Paul will be sacrificed. That report also suggests Cunha will be allowed to leave, and is no longer ‘untouchable’.

It states he is looking for a way out of an ‘unsustainable situation’.

Atletico will reportedly have to settle for less than his release clause, which is believed to be around £84million. Indeed, Marca states ‘it will be impossible’ to raise that money given the current situation.

Man Utd could swoop for Cunha

Given United were interested in Cunha in the summer, it would be unsurprising if they wanted to jump at this opportunity.

That transfer could come as soon as January. The report states that Atletico are ‘expected to be in turmoil’ come the opening of the transfer window.

Cunha could be among a host of players who are shown the door in order to rectify the financial situation.

United might well be the beneficiaries of that decision, snaring Ten Hag’s target for a cut-price fee.

While that may be the case, Cunha has not been firing on cylinders so far this season. The 23-year-old is yet to score in 16 appearances so far this season.

The Red Devils might think twice, given the striker is not performing. However, he clearly has promise, and it could be too good an opportunity to pass up.

The situation will become clearer when the January window opens.

READ MORE: Massive Man Utd decision to sell senior player confirmed by trusted source, with £50m hit to be taken on team-mate