£50m Newcastle United transfer target set to travel to St James' Park after Premier League U-turn

The Premier League fixture (7:30pm kick-off) marks Cunha’s first match back available following a ban issued by the Football Association. The 25-year-old was initially handed a three-match ban and was set to miss the Newcastle game after being found guild of misconduct following the 2-1 defeat by Ipswich Town last month.

But his ban was reduced to two-matches following a ‘sincere’ apology and offer to provide a new pair of glasses for the Ipswich staff member whom he clashed with. While serving his ban, Cunha has been nursing an injury picked up in his previous appearance against Tottenham Hotspur.

While new Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira confirmed Cunha will travel for the match, he claimed it would be ‘impossible’ to play the Brazilian for 90 minutes.

"He will be with us, he will travel with us for the game," Pereira said. "But, I will respect my medical department because I'm not a doctor.

"I'm not a coach to force the players to play for 90 minutes, it's impossible and will be a big risk for him. The communication between my staff and the medical department is very important.

"[Cunha] is training, but his fitness level and condition is now not the best.”

Cunha has scored 10 Premier League goals for Wolves this season and has attracted interest from various clubs since making his £44million move from Atletico Madrid in 2023. Wolves reportedly value the forward at around £50million following interest from the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle.

Newcastle have been monitoring Cunha since his arrival in the Premier League and retain an interest in Bruno Guimaraes’ Brazil teammate. While Newcastle are unlikely to make a move in January they will be looking to strengthen in attacking areas ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

And with Wolves facing potential relegation from the Premier League, a summer move is more likely. The Magpies could get a first-hand look at the forward on Wednesday at St James’ Park following his ban and injury troubles.