Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing €35 million-rated Matheus Cunha, who will be allowed to leave Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window to balance the books.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo via GIVE ME SPORT, Leeds United are looking into the signing of Atletico Madrid striker Matheus Cunha as the Brazilian looks to leave Diego Simeone’s side when the transfer market reopens in January.
Atletico Madrid are planning to offload several first-team stars to offset the financial impact of exiting the Champions League and European football entirely after finishing rock bottom in their group-stage campaign. Reports in Spain suggest the club is hoping to secure significant funds from player sales in the mid-season market. Cunha is one of the names on the list of possible departures.
The 23-year-old only joined Atletico in the summer of 2021 from Hertha Berlin but has struggled to become a key player for Diego Simeone’s side. He has mostly been a bit-part player in Spain, failing to cement a place in Diego Simeone’s starting lineup, with the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix ahead of him in the pecking order.
He came off the bench a majority of times last term, but still managed to make an impact, scoring six goals and providing four assists across 29 La Liga games, only eight of which were starts. This season as well, the versatile attacker has struggled to break into the Argentine manager’s plans at Atletico, having only started two of his 11 La Liga appearances.
As such, Atletico are willing to let Cunha leave for a fee of between €30 million and €35 million, despite the fact that his current contract is not due to expire until the summer of 2026.
The Brazilian was being linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer transfer window. And the Red Devils could well revisit their interest in bringing the 23-year-old to Old Trafford. However, the Mancunian giants aren’t his only Premier League suitor, with Leeds United touted as a potential destination for Cunha ahead of the winter transfer window.
The Peacocks have endured a roller-coaster season, defeating the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea but failing to find a stable footing in the table thanks to their inconsistencies. Leeds currently sits 15th in the Premier League table after a 4-3 loss to Tottenham last weekend, despite leading three times.
Needless to say, the Whites are eager to shore up their defence, but they are also keen to strengthen on the other end of the pitch. Rodrigo Moreno is the club’s top scorer with nine goals to his name this season and is enjoying his best goal-scoring season for the Whites.
However, Patrick Bamford has largely been misfiring this season, while his persistent injury problems remain a big concern for manager Jesse Marsch, who has to rely on youngsters to deliver the goods in the attacking third this season.
Although the overall deal may end up costing an arm and a leg, Cunha would undoubtedly be a valuable addition to their attacking roster if Leeds’s director Victor Orta can close the transfer. However, there are doubts about whether Leeds can convince Cunha to join the club as they are firmly in a relegation battle.
Not again, expensive for a player thats not making the grade, dont worry Leeds will buy him 🙄
Not exactly banging them in right now is he?