Manchester United have already snapped up a ready-made replacement for Alejandro Garnacho, but another creative force is needed in the final third.
While neither move is official yet, all top sources agree that Matheus Cunha is on the verge of finalising his transfer to Old Trafford, with Wolverhampton collecting the value of his release clause, which is £62.5 million.
Moreover, it has been confirmed on Saturday by David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano that Ruben Amorim has already made his decision to axe Garnacho from his plans for next season following the back-and-forth debacle sparked by the winger’s dissatisfaction with his limited role in the Europa League final.
But with the Argentinian expected to depart, the Red Devils would be left with limited options for the two Number 10 roles, especially since Amorim seems intent on playing Bruno Fernandes in a deeper role.
Alejandro Garnacho has been told to leave United
Cunha and Amad Diallo are tipped to claim a starting berth, but there isn’t much behind them. Mason Mount has the manager’s full support, but he let him down in the UEL final, while his ability to stay away from the treatment table remains questionable at best.
Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo has yet to find his ideal place in Amorim’s system, and he could follow his friend Garnacho to the exit door, while Joshua Zirkzee is more of a wild card than a genuine attacking midfielder.
In recent days, Romano noted that United could be looking to sign another No.10 in addition to Cunha, and with a swift glance at the current attacking department, this might be a necessity rather than a luxury, even for a club that doesn’t play in Europe.
While the identity of this potential new addition remains shrouded in mystery, perhaps most signs point towards Rayan Cherki, the Olympique Lyonnais star who enjoyed a sensational campaign, with Man Utd witnessing his trickery and wizard-like skills first-hand.
Why Rayan Cherki would be perfect for Man Utd
Although the 21-year-old’s exploits weren’t enough to beat the Red Devils in the surreal Europa League quarter-final, they might prove enough to earn him a move to Old Trafford.
The Frenchman has a contract for another year, but his latest contract renewal apparently included a gentleman’s agreement that would allow him to leave this summer for a relatively low fee.
| Stats in 24/25 | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Alejandro Garnacho | 58 | 11 | 10 |
| Matheus Cunha | 35 | 17 | 6 |
| Rayan Cherki | 44 | 12 | 20 |
Therefore, Cherki wouldn’t only be the ideal profile for Amorim’s system in terms of skills and talent, but also the perfect profile for INEOS who are unlikely to find a better player for such a relatively low cost, with some suggesting his asking price to be as low as €30 million.
Moreover, Cherki may have had his issues in the past, but that is only good news for Man Utd, as we’re talking about a man who has already gone through this agonising stage of his young career and overcame it, and is now fully focused on fulfilling his early promise and beyond.
Cunha and Cherki would be great signings for United , If we we can get a top class number nine to go with them it would be great
That’s an excellent way to combat the shortage of goals in the squad. It’ll relieve the pressure on Bruno being the sole creative king of the team. Bruno and Cheriki can be master and pupil with Cunha the extra man.
But we definitely need to address the CDM area though, that’s the main reason why our season went to shit because of the lack of suitable players there. Ugarte is sh!t at receiving the ball from the defence and he got targeted by the opposition every single time. We need to get Angel Gomes on the freebie and invest in a solid young CDM to give Seku Kone time to come through.
If we can afford Cherki in addition to Cunha and a new ST, then great – he’d be a good signing.
If Garnacho does leave the club this season and if it’s true that Newcastle are thinking of selling Harvey Barnes. He will be perfect for man Utd. If he stays fit he will be a superstar at Man Utd.i hope this season we will try and sign more proven premier league players then overseas players is where we have been going wrong in the passed. Mateta is also a better option then Delap.
If Ineos sign Cherki, I will forget all my worries of losing the Europer league. Signing Cherki is a must, we need Tens who assist strikers not just going for glory
Cherki would be a great signing for us and can be our 2nd number 10 with Cunha. Both are creative and can score goals. We need a top CF to go with these 2. We would all love Gyokeres but it’s very doubtful. David is a Free transfer and we should move for him.
Midfield has to be completely changed for next season. We need more mobility and creativity in our midfield.
We are all hoping and expecting Sekou kone and Moorehouse to be great
Midfield players for United WHEN they get their chances but we also need an experienced player to control our midfield next season. Ederson is the one we should move for, if money is available.
Since Ruben arrived at Man Utd, we are better in ball playing, control, creating chances and possession but what we lack is goal scoring threats and missing clear opportunities. I think Man Utd needed 4 players in getting Cunha and Cherki perfect midfield match with energy. Then add a solid technical CDM with speed, power, ball control to pair with Ugarte sometimes. And then a good goal scoring Striker. I think next season people will be surprised on how Man Utd will score goals to win Match.