On 2 June 2025, Manchester United officially announced the recruitment of striker Matheus Cunha from Wolves for a fee of 62.5 million pounds.
The "Red Devils" have activated the release clause, agreeing to pay this amount in three installments. Just 10 days later, the Brazilian international made his debut for the new club at Old Trafford.
Although it is one of the first deals of this summer's transfer window, this is not a hasty decision to prepare for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Because this is a tournament that Man United is not participating in.
Instead, they took advantage of the early market opening moment to start the reform process after the disappointing 15th place in the Premier League last season.
However, the spillover effect of this contract has accidentally shaped much of the summer shopping activity in the Premier League. Not only for Man United, but also affecting the transfer strategies of many other big teams.
Up to now, 6 famous attacking players have joined Premier League clubs, with transfer fees almost equivalent to Cunha - ranging from 50 to 60 million pounds.
However, it is clear that it is the Cunha deal of Man United that has contributed to shaping the spending level between teams in this tournament.
Brighton sold Joao Pedro to Chelsea for £55 million. West Ham parted ways with Mohammed Kudus to sign Tottenham Hotspur for the same fee. Anthony Elanga left Nottingham Forest to move to Newcastle for £52 million, while Noni Madueke left Chelsea for Arsenal for £48 million.
Another deal that seems to be coming to an end is Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham, valued at around £60 million. However, the deal fell apart after Nottingham threatened to take legal action, accusing Spurs of illegally approaching the player.
A price level has formed and that is not a coincidence. As transfer values began to soar to tens of millions of pounds, the concept of real value became vague.
There are many variables in each deal, and clubs have their own way of evaluating players based on age, potential, form, tactical role, and even market demand.
And sometimes, the easiest way to evaluate is to use the most recent similar deal as a measure.
That is exactly the strategy Brentford has applied during the prolonged negotiations on the Bryan Mbeumo deal.
The "Bees" are steadfast in their stance when evaluating the Cameroonian star as being higher than Cunha. They have rejected a series of lower offers, before agreeing on an initial fee of £66 million - a figure that could increase to £71 million if additional terms are included.
At first glance, Brentford's position seems reasonable. Mbeumo (25 years old) is almost on par with Cunha (26 years old) and has a similar scoring record in the Premier League in the last two seasons: 29 goals compared to 27 by the Brazilian striker.
However, the big difference lies in the contract status. Cunha has a release clause, forcing Wolves to sell if the price is met. Meanwhile, Mbeumo has only one year left on his contract, although Brentford have an option to extend it.
Finally, the figure of 71 million pounds surprised many experts. Many believe that if Man United had not paid Cunha £62.5 million, the Mbeumo deal could have ended at a significantly lower price.
