Man Utd sent new hint over Matheus Cunha transfer after dressing room message

Matheus Cunha has been outstanding for Wolves this season and head coach Vitor Pereira has appeared to concede that the Brazilian might leave the club in the summer transfer window

Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira has hinted that Matheus Cunha could be sold this summer by claiming: “You cannot build a club around a player.”

Star man Cunha has spearheaded Wolves ’ charge from relegation candidates to mid-table security since Pereira arrived as boss in the depths of mid-winter. And the Brazilian’s 15 goals and six assists have prompted keen interest from Manchester United among others.

But in a new interview, Pereira says Wolves will kick on next season “with Cunha or without Cunha” as the Molineux side gears up for a potential bidding war. Cunha, 25, is under contract until the summer of 2029 and would command a significant fee should he leave. He is reported to have a release clause of £62million.

“I hope we can do good work together because to move forward and to make the next step, we don’t need millions and millions, we need to have intelligence — find players with the profile that we need,” Pereira said. “If we find the right players and we create the right spirit in the small town with these people, it’s easier.

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“The club will move forward to build a strong team, for sure — with Cunha or without Cunha. You cannot build a club around a player.”

There appears little chance of Pereira disappearing, though, following a stunning opening few months in the job. The Portuguese arrived a few days before Christmas as Gary O’Neil’s replacement, with Wolves staring relegation in the face.

But they have won more than half of his games and their past six to reach 13th place, ahead of both United and Tottenham. Only Liverpool and Newcastle have recorded more Premier League wins in that time.

Wolves travel to Manchester City on Friday night and close the season with home fixtures against Brighton and Brentford either side of a visit to FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace.

Cunha’s Wolves team-mate Matt Doherty recently claimed the former Atletico Madrid product will be playing in the Champions League soon. The forward arrived in English football after a difficult spell with the Spanish giants, but Doherty is confident he can thrive at the highest level.

Doherty said: “Sometimes it takes you to move away from a place to find yourself, to realise what you need to do, maybe to get back to a place. Because he should be playing week in, week out for Atletico.

“That’s not the case but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be playing at the highest level imaginable – Champions League, stuff like that – pretty soon. Huge, huge potential.”

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