According to reports, Manchester United are ‘preparing to splurge £100m’ on two midfielders as they edge closer to landing Matheus Fernandes.
The Red Devils were always going to prioritise new midfielders in this summer’s transfer market following the departure of Casemiro, and they appear well-placed to land their targets with plenty of the window remaining.
Man Utd have already struck a deal to sign Ederson Silva from Atalanta for around £38m, and this deal is expected to be formally announced at the start of July.
And the Red Devils are not stopping there, with a report on Friday from The Times revealing that they have moved ahead of Arsenal and others in the race to sign Fernandes from relegated West Ham.
21-year-old Fernandes showed his class as he was one of West Ham’s best performers in their relegation season and he has been linked with several elite clubs in recent weeks.
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And a new report from The Sun claims Fernandes is on Man Utd’s ‘three-man shortlist’ for their next two midfield signings after Ederson, which also includes Carlos Baleba and Alex Scott.
The same report claims Man Utd intend to ‘splurge £100m’ on their remaining midfield targets after cooling their interest in Elliot Anderson, while it is pointed out that two more arrivals in this department are expected as long as Manuel Ugarte is sold.
However, the report also notes that they could keep Ugarte beyond this summer.
They explain: ‘It is unlikely that Ugarte will be exiled, as ‘bomb squad’ members Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia were last year.
‘United head coach Michael Carrick is prepared to accommodate Ugarte in his squad next year and the club are set to take a similar approach to the handling of Harry Maguire and Scott McTomninay in the 2023 summer window.’
Matheus Fernandes to Man Utd deal ‘will be done’ for two reasons
A report from our colleagues at TEAMtalk, meanwhile, claims Man Utd’s opening bid for Fernandes will be ‘some way below £80m’ and will be ‘rejected’, but there is ‘belief’ that the deal ‘will be done’ for two reasons.
The report explained:
‘Firstly, Fernandes is keen to join United and play alongside his idol Bruno Fernandes, while we understand that an agreement over personal terms is not expected to be an issue, with the 21-year-old already giving his personal green light to the move to Old Trafford.’
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