On June 2, 2025, Manchester United officially announced the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matthew Cunya for a fee of £62.5 million. The club activated his release clause and will pay the amount in three installments, with the Brazilian being presented with his new jersey just ten days later.
This transfer, while early in the summer window, wasn’t merely rushed due to the Club World Cup; instead, it was part of a strategy to rebound from their disappointing 15th-place finish last season.
Furthermore, the transfer’s impact has influenced spending across the Premier League, affecting not just United but other top clubs as well. This trend is becoming a defining characteristic of the current transfer market.
Premier League Spending Patterns
So far this summer, six prominent attacking players have switched clubs within the Premier League, all falling into a similar price bracket (£50 million to £60 million). United’s early deal for Cunha has clearly established a spending benchmark for other clubs.
Two months have passed since United signed Cunha (£62.5 million) and Brian Mbeumo (£66 million). During that time, Brighton acquired João Pedro from Chelsea (£55 million), while West Ham’s Mohamed Kudus transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for the same amount. Additionally, Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga moved to Newcastle for £52 million, and Chelsea’s Noni Madueke joined Arsenal for £48 million.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbswhite also made a move to Tottenham for £60 million during this period.
This pricing trend is evident and seems deliberate. As discussions about player valuations intensify amid escalating transfer fees, clubs often use previous transfers as a reference to set their own asking prices.
Utilizing completed transfers as benchmarks can simplify negotiations.
Sources indicate that Brentford leveraged Cunha’s fee during extended negotiations for Mbeumo. The London club valued Mbeumo, also a Cameroon international, higher than Cunha and turned down several low offers before finally agreeing on a base fee of £66 million.
At first, both players appeared comparable; Mbeumo (25) and Cunha (26) have similar Premier League goal tallies (29 and 27, respectively), yet their contract statuses differ significantly.
While there were opportunities for nuanced negotiation, tensions ran high. Ultimately, the total sum of £710 million caught many by surprise. Many believed that had United not committed to Cunha’s £62.5 million, Mbeumo’s transfer would have seemed relatively inexpensive.
1:44
Will Viktor Gyökeres lead Arsenal to the Premier League title?
Steve Nicole and Alejandro Moreno analyze Gyökeres’ move to Arsenal.
Effects on Gyökeres’ Fees
In a transfer market often shrouded in secretive fees and behind-the-scenes dealings, the president of Sporting CP, Frederico Varandas, has publicly stated his desire to secure a set fee for coveted striker Viktor Gyökeres.
In Varandas’ words from June: “I’ve observed the market closely. Two players recently sold in the Premier League (Cunha and Mbeumo) aren’t at Viktor’s level. They went for around £64 million; Gyökeres is a top-tier 26-year-old.”
After extensive talks in Portugal, Gyökeres ultimately made his move to Arsenal for an initial £54 million, potentially rising to £73.5 million with add-ons. Another factor in determining the final fee was his agents agreeing to modify their cut from the initial fee.
The benchmark set by the transfers of Cunha and Mbeumo allowed Varandas to negotiate effectively, emphasizing that Gyökeres’ asking price should align with them for his age and skill set.
Despite concerns about Gyökeres’ age (27 as of June), it didn’t hinder negotiations. Comparisons to the younger Benjamin Sesko (22) from RB Leipzig were frequent, and Varandas used this comparative approach to strengthen his position.
Meanwhile, Noni Madueke (£48 million) made his move to Arsenal from Chelsea at a similar fee as Jamie Gittens (£48 million, with up to £55 million add-ons). The former’s age and experience suggest a better deal for Arsenal, even though the transfer fees imply a broader market trend among clubs.
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Nicol predicts Ekitike will score more than 20 goals in his first season.
Steve Nicol discusses Liverpool’s acquisition of striker Hugo Ekitike.
Upcoming Benchmarks: Ekitike and Wirtz
While Cunha’s deal set an early precedent, Liverpool’s acquisition of midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100 million plus £16 million in add-ons marked a significant increase in spending power in the Premier League.
A few weeks later, Liverpool negotiated a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt for striker Hugo Ekitike, which initially started at £69 million and could rise to £79 million.
Ekitike nearly transferred to Newcastle for £30 million in 2022, but after a successful season in the Bundesliga (15 goals in 33 appearances), he has become a new standard for transfer fees. Consequently, Chelsea reportedly estimates striker Nicholas Jackson’s transfer fee between £80 million and £100 million, reflecting similar expectations for players like Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Comparisons among players like Gyökeres, Cunha, and Mbeumo are now increasingly common, based on position and age, establishing a new reference point in the transfer market.
This trend of utilizing prior transfers as benchmarks is not new, but the explicit comparisons are becoming more apparent in today’s market.
Fan Take: The shifting dynamics of transfer fees exemplified by Cunha’s signing not only highlights Manchester United’s ambitions to reclaim their status but also sets a precedent that affects all clubs within the Premier League. As clubs increasingly turn to established benchmarks for valuations, fans can expect a more competitive market that could reshape player performances and team strategies.
