“I love Man United so much but I think it’s time to move on because I don’t see myself near the level of the striker they have agreed to sign, it’s over for me”: Manchester United’s striker Rasmus Hojlund names the striker Man United has signed, ready to leave the club because of the star

Man Utd are working on a deal to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves in the summer transfer window.

The good news is Manchester United are optimistic they will sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves this summer. The bad news is his arrival could force the exit of a star player instead.

Ruben Amorim wants to add more goals to his United side and views Cunha as a player with the ability and the personality to thrive at Old Trafford. The 25-year-old has been one of the standout players in the Premier League this season, with his 14 goals a key factor in why Wolves have avoided the drop.

The plan is for Cunha to play in one of the two attacking midfield roles behind a new striker next season, ideally, it would be Liam Delap. Amorim won’t always have the luxury of a fully fit squad, but when he does, the idea is for both Cunha and Delap to be part of their strongest line up. That itself leads us to the problem.

United could sell star player

Manchester United are confident they could finance deals for both Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap even without Champions League qualification. In simple terms, it will cost them £92.5 million to pay their respective release clauses, money they would be able to rise through the sales of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony, while they will also save money when Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton all leave upon expiration of their contracts.

Other exits would significantly help as well, such as the possible sale of Casemiro, though that is easier said than done given his huge wage demands. The other massive help would be to sell an academy graduate, given it would be counted as pure profit from a financial perspective, they might even be left with little choice.

The elephant in the room is where Cunha fits into the side. He is an attacking midfielder who will be expected to start matches, a position in which United already have plenty of options to varying levels of success. In the worst-case scenario, United could play just 40 competitive matches next season if they don’t qualify for the Champions League, which doesn’t leave much room for rotation.

Bruno Fernandes is better suited to an attacking midfield role, but even if they move him to a central midfield position, Cunha will still be keeping two of Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo out of the team. That’s seven players who are arguably at their best in the two attacking midfield roles.

Amad could be moved to wing-back to accommodate Cunha’s arrival, and there is a compelling argument Mainoo or Garnacho could be sold, given that they would be luxury back-up options and their transfer fees could be reinvested better elsewhere in the squad.

Of the two, you’d have to say Mainoo is the most likely to be sold. For all his criticism, Garnacho has established himself as a key player under Amorim this season and has become a regular in the starting line up again. He has played in 51 of their 52 matches this campaign, and only missed one match when he was dropped for the Manchester derby win in December due to ‘performance issues.’ His response to that setback impressed Amorim, even if he has plenty of work to do yet.

It has not been so straightforward for Mainoo, through no fault of his own. Injury setbacks have reduced him to just 29 appearances this season, less than half of Garnacho, and he has struggled to pin down a regular role in the side. The 20-year-old has struggled as a central midfielder and does not look like a well-suited partner for Manuel Ugarte, while his promising performances as an attacking midfielder are caveated by the intense competition for places.

United are unlikely to actively try to sell Garnacho or Mainoo this summer, but if they can’t land their top transfer targets and find themselves without European football, it might become the easiest way to raise precious funds. Time isn’t up, but it is certainly ticking.