Wolves confirm Matheus Cunha loan ahead of record £43m deal

Wolves have acted quick to bring the Atletico Madrid forward in, after agreeing terms with the Spanish club and the player on Tuesday and flying him in for a medical on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old arrives initially on-loan, but clauses in the deal will trigger an obligation to buy him for around £43million in the summer, which will make him the club's record transfer.

It is expected that these clauses will be activated and it will be a formality that Cunha signs permanently with Wolves on a contract until 2027. There is also no clause that will void the deal in the event that Wolves are relegated to the Championship.

The club have now announced the deal ahead of January, but the deal will go through once the transfer window opens and he will then be available to feature against Villa on January 4.

Wolves have beaten several clubs to Cunha's signature, with Villa, Leeds and Everton all reportedly interested, while Arsenal and Chelsea were also linked.

New Sporting Director Matt Hobbs believes the club needed to back Julen Lopetegui in the transfer market at the first available opportunity.

“When a manager comes in and is so strong, with so much belief in a player, it’s important for the club to ensure the deal gets done to show the manager that the club is behind him," said Hobbs.

"It felt an important one. It’s been about getting that first piece of the puzzle, and from day one that was Matheus.

“He’s a player we liked before, but someone we didn’t think would be achievable for us in our current position.

"Now it’s a bit of a statement, so other players we’re talking to, who may look at our league position, are now looking at the manager, and once they see the first signing, it gives them faith and belief in the project that Julen and I spoke about.”

The Brazilian international, who has eight caps for his country but missed out on selection for the World Cup, becomes the first signing of the Lopetegui era, in a January in which Wolves are expected to be very busy.

Cunha has made 17 appearances in all competitions for Atletico this season but failed to score, after failing to break into the starting XI of a side that consists of Portugal’s Joao Felix and France’s Antoine Griezmann.

He signed for the Spanish club in August 2021 and has netted seven times in 54 appearances, also managing eight assists.

Cunha signed a five-year deal in Madrid after leaving Hertha Berlin – a side where he was much more prolific in front of goal.

He joined the German side in January 2020 and enjoyed a fruitful spell, scoring 13 times, but also being a creative force too – registering 10 assists in 40 appearances.

Attentions will now turn to bringing in defensive competition at both centre-back and right-back, as well as in midfield.