Man Utd in club-to-club talks to sign £50m star

It's fair to say that things didn't get off to a great start in a Manchester United shirt for Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, 2025 arrivals who both memorably missed their penalty attempts on that fateful night at Grimsby Town.

There may be fears that such woes were a sign of things to come, although both men, £65m and £62.5m signings, respectively, can look back fondly on their first seasons at Old Trafford.

In Cunha's case, the Brazilian came to life after a quiet start, rounding things up with ten Premier League goals, including a stunning finish under Michael Carrick, in particular.

As for Mbeumo, he has endured some rough post-AFCON, although it is hard to overlook a campaign that saw him score at Anfield and the Emirates, as well as the opener in Carrick's first game in charge of Manchester City.

The Premier League-proven pair have settled in well and stepped up in Manchester, hopefully showing a sign of things to come under INEOS on the recruitment front.

Man Utd hold club-to-club talks over £50m deal

As was the case with the signings of both Cunha and Mbeumo, United appear to be favoring players currently active in England's top flight, although the first of the summer was for Atalanta star Ederson.

The ongoing search for the club is now focused on West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes, with the Old Trafford boss pulling out a deal to try and pry the Portuguese away from the relegated club.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano – speaking on his YouTube channel – United are “already in talks” with the Hammers as they try to negotiate a fee.

Those conversations also came as a surprise, with Romano explaining that team-to-team discussions were happening at the same time about Fernandes' teammate, Crysencio Summerville.

The Red Devils are said to have “enquired about the player's condition and value”, amid similar discussions for Fernandes, although Paris Saint-Germain are also conducting their own investigation.

As for the price tag, it has been reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic that the former Leeds United winger could fetch around £50m.

Man Utd may re-sign Cunha and Mbeumo

In total in 2024/25, Ruben Amorim's side scored just 44 goals during a miserable 15th place finish, with Bruno Fernandes and Amad top scorers with just eight goals each.

To say that there was a big difference this time would mean that Cunha, Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko scored a team-leading 32 goals between them last season, each reaching double figures.

The last time three new players achieved that in a Premier League club was Arsenal back in 2012/13, highlighting a job well done in terms of INEOS recruitment.

Bringing Summerville into the fold could be a repeat, the Dutchman has been a bright light during a difficult season in east London.

He scored just five league goals in 2025/26, four of which came in the space of just four games at the start of 2026, although there is plenty to be happy about, as he recently showed for his country.

In the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan, the right-footer – a right-back – cut through what was said to be a weak foot and curled the ball into the far corner, then ran to assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy to celebrate.

That felt like the kind of finish Cunha has produced this season, firing home from distance to seal a 3-2 win over Arsenal in January.

There's also a similarity there in terms of their ability to play the ball, as both men can beat their man with a stunner or a skill.

Summerville may rely more on pace than Cunha, although his average of 1.6 successful tackles per game in the Premier League last season almost eclipsed the Brazilian's 1.3.

The West Ham man's pace and ability to cut inside is perhaps the most impressive of Mbeumo's, the pair have really exploded in the Championship at Leeds and Brentford, respectively.

When Summerville played for the Yorkshire side in the Premier League in 2022/23, scoring four goals, it was the following campaign where he stood out in the second division, scoring 19 goals, registering nine assists and creating 17 'big chances'.

In Mbeumo's case, the Cameroonian was instrumental in the Bees' rise to the top flight, his final season in the Championship seeing the left-footed striker register 18 goals and assists, while creating nine 'big chances'.

Most importantly, like United's current pairing, Summerville is a match-winning, transformative, type of talent who can single-handedly win a game in a moment of magic.

He hasn't shown consistent enough yet, it has to be said, but at around £50m, this could be another sensible INEOS deal on the cards.