Manchester United want to wrap up £92.5million-worth of business for Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap as quickly as possible this summer.
United intend to trigger the release clauses of £62.5m for Cunha at Wolves and £30m for Delap at Ipswich to sign both players once the transfer window opens on June 1.
Confidential first revealed in January that Cunha is one of United’s main targets, and a deal for the 25-year-old Brazilian is said to be very close after they fought off rival interest from Newcastle.
It’s understood that Ruben Amorim sees Cunha as a No 10 in his 3-4-3 system and the player is keen to work with United’s head coach. The two men were spotted chatting on Sunday after Wolves won 1-0 at Old Trafford where members of Cunha’s family posed for pictures outside the stadium.
Delap is United’s No.1 target but there still obstacles to signing the England Under 21 striker despite his price dropping to £30m once Ipswich’s relegation is confirmed. United face fierce competition and there are other fees connected with the deal that could push the figure higher.
Victor Osimhen is another option even though the £70m-rated Napoli striker would be twice the price. United could be persuaded to let Rasmus Hojlund return to Italy as part of the deal, with the former Atalanta centre forward having scored just once in his last 28 games.
Manchester United are looking to sign Liam Delap (pictured) before the end of June
They also want to trigger the release clause of £62.5million for Matheus Cunha before the new accounting window
United boss Ruben Amorim (right) sees Cunha as a No 10 in his system for next season
Napoli also have a strong interest in Alejandro Garnacho, although that deal would have to be done separately so the Argentina winger could generate 100 per cent profit as a homegrown player under profit and sustainability (PSR) rules.
United are hoping to raise transfer funds by agreeing permanent moves for Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho. They are open to offers for a number of other players including top earner Casemiro and Hojlund, while Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo – both targets for Chelsea – would make the most PSR profit.
The club will have more room for manoeuvre if they hit the £100m jackpot by winning the Europa League, thereby securing a place in next season’s Champions League. But with the Europa League final not until May 21, United will continue to prioritise the Cunha and Delap deals in time for June 1. The window will close on June 10 and then re-open from June 16 to September 1.
Fredricson’s mad dash
When Tyler Fredricson got the news that he would become the 254th player to graduate from United’s academy into the first team, it soon became appointment viewing for his friends and family.
The centre back, 20, was handed a start against Wolves on Sunday and girlfriend Brooke, along with his parents, were in the stands bursting with pride.
But for brother Tate Fredricson, he was facing the dilemma of fulfilling his own footballing commitments in the second division of Stockport’s Sunday League.
Fredricson plays for Higher Poynton and they were in action on Sunday against Edgeley Villa Hatters with a 10.45am kick-off in Poynton.
Confidential has learned that the sibling of the United starlet agreed to play the first half – which they finished losing 1-0 – before hot-footing it 14 miles across to Old Trafford.
He made it in time to see his brother make history and soon learned that his team-mates had turned things around without him to win 3-1 in a second half that saw the opposition shown three red cards. A crazy day in more ways than one for the Fredricson family!
Tyler Fredricson made his Manchester United debut on Sunday in front of friends and family
His brother, Tate Fredricson, played the first half for his Sunday league side before bolting to Old Trafford
Lyon look back in anger
Do we detect a hint of sour grapes over in Lyon following their incredible Europa League defeat by United?
The first leg at the Groupama Stadium was overshadowed by reports of United fans being tear-gassed by French riot police as they tried to use the toilets after a 2-2 draw.
An unforgettable second leg saw United take a two-goal lead and then have to come from 4-2 down in extra-time to win 5-4 as Harry Maguire’s dramatic late winner set up a semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
However, the Ligue 1 club have written to their fans on social media inviting complaints over their treatment at Old Trafford which may have put them ‘in danger’.
It read: ‘Dear supporters, Olympique Lyonnais sincerely thanks you for coming in such numbers to Manchester. However, we regret the conditions of access to Old Trafford which may have put you in danger. United by your side, we will carry your voice and we invite you to send us your testimonies via the following form.’
Lyon certainly weren’t getting any sympathy from their closest rivals St Etienne when the two clubs met on Sunday. Two St Etienne fans were pictured side by side wearing jerseys with a ‘Merci 5’ and ‘Maguire 4’ on their backs. Oh, and St Etienne won 2-1.
Lyon have asked fans for complaints over their treatment at Old Trafford which may have put them ‘in danger’
There were reports of United fans being tear-gassed by French riot police as they tried to use the toilets in France
Ticket change for semi-final
United have changed the way fans will access their tickets for the home leg of the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao, in a move that could cause problems for supporters getting into Old Trafford.
Instead of tickets being available in the app – a process launched at the start of this season – they will instead be issued as near-field communication (NFC), which works in the same way as using your phone to make a contactless payment in a shop.
The change has been made ‘following issues with unauthorised sharing of tickets for previous cup games’ during the 2024-25 campaign.
Confidential is aware of fans who were given NFC tickets for the Lyon home game and had issues scanning at the turnstiles.
Catching the bus from Bilbao
Plans are already in the works for Athletic Bilbao fans eager to back their team in the Europa League semi-final second leg at Old Trafford on May 8.
Now, most who get a ticket will fly, as is the norm. But one fan group is determined to navigate the 1,700km-plus journey via a sleeper bus.
There are, however, a couple of sticking points to get this marathon journey to Manchester over the line. Failure to sell all 38 seats on the bus – tickets are running at €400 a person and €360 for fan club members – and it will be cancelled.
That price does not include a match ticket and there will be one sleeper bus and one sleeper bus only, which will take the hardy group from Bilbao to Dunkirk and then onto Manchester, leaving Spain on Tuesday, May 6 and returning on Saturday.
Group leader Joseba Garcia told El Desmarque: ‘They’re starting to get very expensive for us.
‘There are only a few companies that offer sleeper buses; in fact, there are only two. They usually use them for study trips and very specific activities like skiing or something like that. They’re tending to disappear, and that logically makes the trip more expensive since there’s almost no competition.’
What fans do for their clubs, hey!
Plans are already in the works for Athletic Bilbao fans who are set to travel to Old Trafford
The Spanish club will take on United in Manchester on May 8 in a crucial Europa League semi-final clash
Tifo challenge
Thoughts have already turned to the semi-final second leg at home to Bilbao and how United can follow Old Trafford’s first tifo.
The ‘Never Gonna Stop’ banner appeared in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand after a pulley system was installed there just in time for the Lyon game because it wouldn’t fit in the Stretford End.
Rather than stick with the same tifo paying homage to United’s glory nights in Europe, the people behind the flags and banners at Old Trafford are appealing for ideas for the visit of Bilbao on May 8.
‘We’ve had many people asking about a tifo for the semi-final,’ Stretford End Flags wrote on social media. ‘If you have a decent design that you can mock up, then we’d love to see your ideas.’
U18s bounce back
If it wasn’t enough for United’s first team to put fans through the wringer, Adam Lawrence’s Under-18s fancied a comeback of their own this week.
With their hopes of winning the Under-18 Premier League title hanging by a thread, it was imperative that they beat Derby County to keep the pressure on leaders Manchester City.
They made the worst possible start when they found themselves 2-0 down at Carrington after 33 minutes.
But less than 24 hours after the heroics of Ruben Amorim’s first team, United’s kids fought back through Bendito Mantato – who will sign his professional contract imminently – James Scanlon and Shea Lacey, who changed the game off the bench.
There was still a sting in the tail from Derby when they made it 3-3, but this was to be the week of ‘remontadas’ at United and substitute Victor Musa summoned the spirit of Harry Maguire to score a 92nd-minute winner to spark wild celebrations.
A week where crazy results really have been written in the stars for United.
There are also plans in place for how the Red Devils can follow Old Trafford’s first tifo
Adam Lawrence’s Under-18s, meanwhile, staged a comeback win of their own against Derby
Fans make their point
It was one of the quieter protests seen at Old Trafford in these turbulent times, but Sunday’s demonstration by season ticket holders in the Sir Bobby Stand was no less effective.
Holding up placards directly in front of chief executive Omar Berrada, chief operating officer Collette Roche and technical director Jason Wilcox in the directors’ box, supporters made a stand against plans to relocate them to elsewhere in the stadium to make room for a VIP dugout club.
Among the messages to the club’s owners and the rest of the board, they read ‘Tourists Over Fans’, ‘Pay for your own mistakes, not with my seat, shame on you’ and ’50 years, one family, taken for profit not passion’.
It’s understood that leaflets were handed out in that section of Old Trafford at Thursday’s Europa League tie with Lyon, urging fans to protest at the Wolves game but stipulating: ‘Please no bad language or offensive remarks on the banners as we do not want to offend anyone.’
Confidential reported last month that the plan to uproot hundreds of long-standing fans to create the premium seats that could be worth up to £15,000-a-match each had been branded ‘appalling’ and ‘ruthless’.
Many of them have sat in the South Stand at Old Trafford for decades, and had previously been asked if they wanted their names on the seats. Now they are in the dark over where they will be next season and whether they will be still be able to sit with their families and friends.
One elderly fan who contacted Confidential said it has been suggested that he move to the Stretford End, which he didn’t think was at all suitable.
Another supporter who has been sat in the South Stand for 30 years, said: ‘Many of the tickets in that section are taken by local families, with the older generations having sat there for many decades and then introduced the younger ones to the club.
United fans held up placards directly in front of the likes of chief executive Omar Berrada against Wolves on Sunday
‘The despair of the fans being relocated has fallen on deaf ears with United’s board and management.
‘The ticket renewal email reassured fans that a ‘member of our supporter services team will be in contact with you in the coming weeks to ensure a suitable alternative seat is found ahead of renewal’. That was five weeks ago and there has since been no call.
‘The only subsequent communication advised fans that they would be able ‘to select a new season ticket seat online’, with no advice on how this would work and how groups or families with multiple tickets would ensure they were kept together – let alone near their longstanding neighbours, many of whom now regard each other as friends.
‘The banners on Sunday cannot have been ignored by those driving key decision making at Old Trafford.’
Kluivert ploy is pants
Without putting ideas in the heads of United fans ahead of Sunday’s trip to the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth’s penalty specialist Justin Kluivert admits it’s lucky he didn’t see a Wolves supporter strip down to his underpants before he became the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick from the spot in November.
The cunning – and no doubt chilly – fan behind the goal at Molineux tried and failed to put Kluivert off because the Dutchman was simply too focussed on seizing his landmark opportunity.
‘Luckily I only saw it after on the video because I think if I saw it in the moment, I would have missed the penalty,’ says Kluivert, who also converted from the spot when Bournemouth beat United 3-0 at Old Trafford in December.
‘I only saw me and the keeper. To be fair, that is one thing I do good: to block everything around me and just focus on me and the keeper, that’s it.’
A fan tried to put Justin Kluivert off before he scored a hat-trick of penalties against Wolves
The midfielder, who faces United this weekend, broke a Premier League record with three spot kicks in Nocember
Speaking to the latest Men in Blazers (Justin Kluivert reveals his mental trick to penalty kicks and why Iraola’s system is perfect for him) podcast, the 25-year-old was also asked about his ‘no-look’ penalty against Arsenal in October.
‘It’s training and then the confidence, that is key for me,’ Kluivert adds. ‘There are enough people in the stands who are stressed at that moment. They need someone who can stay cool, and they can count on me in that situation.
‘I can really shut down and not think about all the pressure at that moment. I try to think about nothing, just me and the goal. The thing is to stay composed.’
Giggs talks the talk
His restaurant closed in January owing creditors £500,000, so perhaps it’s no surprise to see Ryan Giggs on the after-dinner circuit.
The United legend will be at the Millennium Forum in Derry on Thursday night to make an appearance alongside his old team-mate and Class of ’92 alumni Paul Scholes, with the pair also due on stage at the Mercure Hotel in Manchester in September.
Giggs will be making some individual appearances at Hotel Football next to Old Trafford in September, the Victoria Theatre in Halifax in October, and the Tetley Walkers Sports Club in Warrington on Sunday, June 29 where a VIP table of 10 will set you back £1,500 for a glass of champagne, one-hour private reception, two-course meal, an individual photo and signed shirt.
Giggs, who owned George’s Dining Room and Bar in Worsley with his close friends Kelvin Gregory and Bernie Taylor before it closed after nine years, is also director of football at Salford City.
Ryan Giggs is on the after-dinner circuit after his restaurant closed in January owing creditors £500,000
Role model Maguire
Speaking to a source close to the academy this week, it was striking just how positive they were about the role Harry Maguire is playing with the youngsters coming through.
Maguire played a key role in helping Harry Amass settle into the first-team dressing-room, and he was among the first to publicly praise Tyler Fredricson online following a clean sheet on his debut.
But Maguire’s impact has extended to all of the rising stars coming through, from the likes of Jaydan Kamason and Jack Moorhouse to James Scanlon and Godwill Kukonki.
‘He is a top top bloke,’ the source told Confidential. ‘He’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet and he’s been invaluable to the kids.’
He may no longer wear the captain’s armband, but his influence on and off the pitch these days is not going unnoticed.
Harry Maguire is playing a key role with the youngsters coming through at Manchester United
Puma, meanwhile, are adding to their stable with rising stars from the club, including Ayden Heaven (pictured)
Puma making their mark
It has been noted in United circles in recent weeks how Puma have smartly added to their stable with rising stars from the club’s gaggle of young talents.
Godwill Kukonki and Ayden Heaven both represent Puma, while 17-year-old Bendito Mantato recently penned a deal with the sportswear giant.
Nike and adidas remain the frontrunners in snapping up young players to deals, with some academy players in the U10 group being signed up.
But Puma have been clever in positioning themselves to be well represented at United by aligning themselves with three of the high potential youngsters at Carrington these days.