Man Utd cannot repeat Matheus Cunha transfer trick next year due to summer window change

Manchester United sealed the deal for Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers just a day after their season wrapped up this summer. In less than 24 hours following the end of their post-season tour in Hong Kong, the club confirmed they had agreed to the signing, pending visa and registration.

The transfer was officially announced on June 12, after Cunha put pen to paper on his contract. That marked the first time in six years that they signed a player in June, a record dating back to when Daniel James joined the club from Swansea City.

However, United won't be able to make such early moves next summer. The same goes for other clubs, as the summer window will not open until 15 June.

This year, the window kicked off on June 1, the same day United announced their agreement to sign Cunha, but this was an earlier date than usual due to the Club World Cup commencing on June 14. Consequently, FIFA permitted an extraordinary transfer window to run between June 1-10 before reopening on June 16.

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But with no Club World Cup scheduled for this coming summer - the next edition is slated for 2029 - normal service will resume. Instead, the window will kick off during the early days of the World Cup across Canada, Mexico and the United States on June 15.

Nevertheless, clubs can still agree on signings before the market opens. In 2026, United will be unable to conduct business as early as they did to secure Cunha. They will have to wait until the transfer window opens at a more standard time on June 15.

United's director of football, Jason Wilcox, expressed the club's pleasure at securing Cunha so swiftly this summer. "Bringing in Matheus was one of our main priorities for this summer, so we are delighted to have completed his signing so early in the window," he stated.

The player also hinted at the benefit of signing before the players returned for training. "I can't wait for the start of pre-season to get to know my team-mates and prepare for the season ahead," he commented.