Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha is eyeing a summer move after being linked to Arsenal in January, while Manchester United are plotting a swoop for fellow Brazilian Wesley França. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.
Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s January grades | Women’s January grades
TOP STORIES
– City must omit new signing for UCL knockouts
– Transfer desperation ranking: Man City top after mega-spend
– Galatasaray keen to sign Newcastle’s Trippier – source
– Manna: Garnacho demands were too much for Napoli
TRENDING RUMORS
– Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha is eager to join a “bigger club” despite recently signing a new deal, Football Insider reports. The Brazilian had been the subject of interest from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in January, all of whom are expected to be vying for his signature again in the summer. The inclusion of a release clause was reportedly “demanded” by the 25-year-old, who is eyeing a transfer once it becomes active in June.
– Manchester United are considering a move for Flamengo wonderkid Wesley França, reports Goal. The full-back is one of Brazil’s most promising youngsters, having been a regular for the Rio club since the 2023 season. Profit and sustainability rules prevented United from bidding for Wesley in January, but the club should have more financial wriggle room in July. The 21-year-old has already been the subject of a $25 million bid from Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg, which was rejected. Flamengo are hopeful that a string of impressive displays at this summer’s Club World Cup could drive up the player’s value.
– Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo were linked with moves away from Manchester United in January, and the Guardian reports that a summer transfer could still be on the cards. Garnacho was wanted by Napoli and Chelsea, while the west London club were also said to be considering a move for Mainoo. United need to create more headroom to allow Rubem Amorim to rebuild the squad, and finding new clubs for the two academy graduates would provide pure profit for PSR calculations — giving the new boss more funds to reinvest.
– Galatasaray are pushing to sign Empoli defender Saba Goglichidze this month, reports Gianluca Di Marzio. The Georgia international has played 20 times this season in Serie A, having joined Empoli last January from Torpedo Kutaisi. With the Turkish transfer window not closing until Feb. 11, Galatasaray have a week to try to sort out a deal for Goglichidze. Though their first offer was rejected by the Italian side — who wouldn’t be able to sign a replacement — a follow-up bid could soon arrive in Tuscany.
– Harry Kane has a release clause in his Bayern Munich contract, Bild reports, but it would take a huge offer to activate it. The England captain had one clause that could have been triggered in January with an offer of €80m, but that’s now expired. The clause will now fall to €65m, but there is no suggestion that Kane, 31, is looking to the leave the Bundesliga club.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Dale Johnson on the numbers behind Matheus Cunha’s rise in the Premier League.
Matheus Cunha was something of an enigma when arriving at Wolves two years ago.
The Brazil international was signed from Atlético Madrid on loan, with an obligation to make the move permanent after certain clauses were met for a fee which could rise to £35m.
It’s fair to say Cunha didn’t exactly suggest he would be value for money when he was on loan, scoring only two goals and providing zero assists in 17 Premier League appearances.
He then started last season slowly, but over the last 14 months has been one of the most productive players in the Premier League, scoring 21 goals and setting up another nine. He’s netted 11 times already in this campaign, one behind his tally for 2023-24.
So on those numbers alone, it’s easy to see why the bigger clubs have begun to sit up and take notice, and why Wolves sealed a contract extension in January.
And he’s become more clinical, too. The 12 goals in the last campaign came from an xG of 9.55, while this season he has 11 goals from an xG of just 5.22. His minutes per goal is down from 204.4 to 170.5.
OTHER RUMORS
– USA midfielder Johnny Cardoso has extended his contract with Real Betis until June 2030. However, Tottenham Hotspur still hold a priority option to sign the 23-year-old. (Real Betis)
– Samuel Chukwueze is expected to remain at AC Milan until the end of the season after his proposed Fulham transfer collapsed. The two clubs ran out of time on deadline day to complete the €30m deal because of issues surrounding an obligatory purchase option. (Revelo)
– AC Milan made an approach to sign Ferran Torres from Barcelona, along with Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, but the Catalan club decided to keep him. (Marca)
– Alphonso Davies’ agent has revealed that Real Madrid was “a serious option” for the player before he decided to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich. (Marca)
– West Ham United made a late attempt to sign Endrick on loan from Real Madrid for the rest of the season. (Marca)
– Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Petar Sucic is expected to undergo a medical at Internazionale on Friday ahead of his summer transfer. The €16m deal will see Sucic join up with his new teammates in June — just in time for him to feature at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. (Nicolo Schira)
– Chelsea explored options to sign a new goalkeeper to replace Robert Sanchez in January, but could not identify a suitable target who would have been available. (Football Insider)
– Centre-back Murillo was also a target for Chelsea, but Nottingham Forest rejected an offer which would have broken their transfer record early in the window and insisted he was not up for transfer. (Daily Telegraph)
– Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal worth £1.6m plus add-ons for St Patrick’s Athletic striker Mason Melia, but he cannot complete the move until next January. Cetlic, Everton, Club Brugge and Eintracht Frankfurt all wanted the Republic of Ireland youth international, who does not turn 18 until September. (The Sun)
– Arsenal discussed making a move for Alvaro Morata in January as their potential striker options reduced. The Spain international eventually moved on loan to Galatasaray from Juventus. (The Athletic)