Liverpool remain on the sidelines as ‘positive contract talks’ progress; Fabrizio Romano confirms active negotiations with the target are well in motion.

Matheus Cunha appears poised for a summer transfer, with Manchester United currently leading the race for his signature.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed this development via a recent update on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the Red Devils have already begun discussions over personal terms. This report has since been backed by The Athletic on Tuesday. It seems Liverpool, despite previous interest, are content to let the Wolves forward join their fiercest rivals.

Liverpool’s need for attacking reinforcements is clear

Though Arne Slot’s side have outscored every other Premier League team this season – registering 11 more goals than closest challengers Manchester City – there remains a heavy dependence on Mohamed Salah.

Stats courtesy of Transfermarkt

While Salah’s reliability may not be a concern for the 2024/25 campaign, Liverpool still face both immediate and long-term challenges in terms of goal distribution and succession planning — even with the Egyptian expected to stay until at least 2027.

Who could fill the gap?

Cody Gakpo is currently the closest in efficiency to Salah’s goal output. Interestingly, Cunha’s goal rate — one every 155.37 minutes — isn’t far off the Dutchman’s. It’s likely Liverpool’s recruitment team are exploring forwards with similar or better numbers who could thrive in a higher-quality squad.

Newcastle’s Alexander Isak would be a dream acquisition with a phenomenal rate of a goal every 119.08 minutes, but his transfer fee could prove a major stumbling block.

Fortunately, there are other names reportedly on Richard Hughes’ radar, including Hugo Ekitike and Joao Pedro.