It is easy to understand why coach Ruben Amorim wants Cunha. The Brazilian has excelled as a winger in Wolves' 3-4-3 system - a formation Amorim also uses. Cunha scored 15 goals last season and has experience playing in the Premier League.
For Man United CEO Omar Berrada, there are other factors that make Cunha attractive. The release clause in this player's contract means that there will be no negotiations on the fee. The Wolves negotiations have focused on allocating payments.
The Red Devils offer to pay in installments for five years and then four years. Wolves asked for payment within 2 years. The deal, announced on June 1, is evidence of the simplicity of the deal.
When Ed Woodward was Man United's transfer manager, he often told his colleagues that the club's business in the transfer market always comes with a " Man United tax".
Simply put, this is an insurance premium that rival clubs apply to players when Man United, traditionally one of the biggest and richest clubs in the world, are interested. Former Man United football director John Murtough also made similar references.
Man United are not the only team facing this problem. Newcastle have been disappointed by what they believe is a "Sa Saudi tax" with a high price increase for players. The reason is that they are owned by the Saudi Arabian National Investment Fund (PIF). Any club that is said to have a lot of money sees that as a problem.
However, this is not easy to prove. And for their part, Man United often fall into the trap of paying too much money to players.
As club leaders panicked at Erik ten Hag's start as manager in 2022, they spent more than £150m on Casemiro and Antony in the final seven days of the transfer window. Those signings are now being accepted as costly mistakes - in terms of both transfer fees and wages - from those inside Old Trafford.
Rasmus Hojlund is another example. There is still a belief that the 22-year-old will become the top striker that Man United have hoped for. However, the expensive price for his 14 Premier League goals in the past two years is huge.
Hojlund was initially valued at around £40 million. After a difficult opening round of negotiations, Atalanta was informed that Man United would not spend more than £60 million.
But in the end, the Old Trafford team agreed a deal for more than £70 million, including add-ons. This is an amount of money that the Danish player does not deserve.
There was a clear change in Man United's transfer policy last summer. They abandoned negotiations with Everton on Jarrad Branthwaite, believing the price was too high.
It is no coincidence that this is the first transfer window managed by Berrada, who was a member of the decentralization system at Manchester City.
The Citizens often miss targets because they see them as unreasonable demands. In a irony of fate, Alexis Sanchez, Harry Maguire and Fred - all of whom were former targets for Man City - all found their way to Old Trafford.
Despite financial challenges, the "Red Devils" have created a "space" to recruit new players this summer. They have reduced their salary fund and implemented other savings, including sacking a series of employees of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
However, the message here is that any spending must be "containmented" ahead of a season without European football. And it is not ruled out that Man United will abandon pursuing top goals if the valuation is considered too high.
They want Bryan Mbeumo but according to sources, Man United will refuse to pay more than Berrada's pre-determined price. Other options include Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze.
As Man United look to overcome their worst domestic season in more than 50 years, the pressure is mounting on their ability to recruit players.
Berrada is trying to put aside past mistakes to build a squad capable of getting the club on track. They are no longer able to pay the " Man United tax".
