'Top target' - Wolves braced for £44m star man bid as surprise new club look to hijack Arsenal transfer

Premier League high-flyers Nottingham Forest have emerged as surprise contenders to make a stunning move for in-form Wolves striker Matheus Cunha.

The Tricky Trees have been the surprise team of the season and currently find themselves chasing a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 1980/81 campaign when they entered the competition as defending champions.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side already have a strong front-line featuring Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, with Taiwo Awonyi often struggling for minutes from the bench. However, they are keen to bolster their team with further quality and are now prepared to rival a number of top clubs in their pursuit of Wolves talisman Cunha in the winter window.

Mail Sport understands Cunha is Nottingham Forest’s priority target in the coming days after a failed £22m approach for Brentford forward Yoanne Wissa.

Birmingham World reported earlier this month that Arsenal were ‘still keen’ on striking a deal with Wolves for the Brazil international while Mail Sport also states that Chelsea and underachievers Tottenham Hotspur are keeping close eyes on the situation.

Will Matheus Cunha likely to leave Wolves this month?

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira told reporters in December that he would do everything possible to try and retain the services of talismanic forward Matheus Cunha this month.

The former Atletico Madrid man, who arrived on a permanent basis 18 months ago for £44m has been a catalyst for The Old Gold this season and a standout performer in the league despite the team’s battle with relegation. Cunha is amongst the top performing players in the division with 10 goals and four assists and only Bryan Mbeumo, Chris Wood, Cole Palmer, Alexander Isak, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have had more goal involvements in the top-flight this season.

“I hope he stays with us for a long time, but I understand as a special player - he will have opportunities for sure in his career. He is special because he can take the ball in a moment of pressure and make magic from nothing. No, of course I don’t want him to be sold in January.”

Cunha ended December on a high with consecutive goals against Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Manchester United in a potentially season defining period for the West Midlands side. However, the 25-year-old has struggled to find the same rhythm this month due to a combination of injuries and suspension, and expressed a great deal of frustration during the team’s 3-1 loss to Chelsea last time out.

Cunha was accused of walking down the tunnel without interacting with supporters and was heavily criticised in public by manager Pereira.

He told reporters: “I don’t like his body language. I want someone, as a captain, trying to help the team - running, suffering and fighting all together. But this is something I can understand. Next time, I won’t understand.”

When discussing speculation around Cunha, he added: “He is committed to Wolves but when you keep hearing about other clubs, then it is human (to be distracted).”

Wolves are determined not to lose Cunha in the midst of a relegation battle and are unlikely to be willing to part ways with the Brazilian unless a lucrative £80m price tag is met. As the Feburary 3rd deadline moves closer, a transfer away from Molineux will become increasingly unlikely, due to the lack of time available for Wolves to sign a suitable replacement.