Leeds United will have to pay more than they expected if they wish to sign Hertha Berlin’s Matheus Cunha this summer.
That’s according to BILD, who say the German side ‘quietly and secretly’ extended the player’s contract for another year, ramping up his value in the process.
Cunha has been named as a target for Leeds over the last few weeks, with BILD reporting earlier this month that their interest was ‘more concrete’ after showing interest in the January transfer window.
That was followed by a report that stated they had been following him closely for months, and a deal could be done at around €30m.
It seems they will have to raise that considerably, though, as Hertha have moved to ensure they get a top price for their man.
BILD explain that with Cunha’s season now over after an ankle injury, he has flown home to Brazil with the club’s permission.
While there, he will ‘sort out his thoughts’ as ‘more and more top clubs’, Leeds among them, are said to have expressed an interest in him.
However, what all these clubs are unaware of is that he would ‘probably be more expensive’ than first though after the Brazilian’s contract was ‘quietly and secretly extended’ for another year until 2025, earlier in the season.
That makes him more valuable for the Germans, and his current market value of €30m will increase even more with his extension.
The biggest ‘trump card’ in the new deal is that it doesn’t include an exit clause, which means that for Cunha to leave, it will probably take a club-record sale to leave.
At the moment, that stands at €22.5m for Valentino Lazaro, and BILD think the likes of Leeds will have to at least double that to get Cunha.
