Manchester United are ready to go above the £85m they topped out at for Mateus Fernandes in order to secure their ‘dream signing’ in central midfield, according to numerous reports.
When attempting to buy Mateus Fernandes, the Red Devils were willing to pay the £85m asking price, though in a deal that also comprised add-ons.
Man Utd were only willing to guarantee £80m of the total £85m fee, with United proposing the other £5m in add-ons.
That hesitation opened the door for Tottenham who weren’t so shy in committing to a fully guaranteed £85m package.
Yet with other targets like Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson also off the table, Man Utd and INEOS are realising they must pay top dollar or risk being caught short.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the next two midfielders Man Utd will make attempts to sign are Alex Scott and Aurelien Tchouameni.
And on Tuesday, The Athletic brought news of Man Utd being fully prepared to seal a deal for the 26-year-old France international if given the green light from Real Madrid.
Man Utd say yes to signing Aurelien Tchouameni
They reported: ‘United are ready if Real Madrid decide to sell Tchouameni.
‘The Spanish club would prefer to make sales before funding further arrivals, and United have held talks to ascertain their stance on the 26-year-old France midfielder, whose contract at the Bernabeu runs until June 2028.’
According to the latest from Mundo Deportivo, Man Utd are now ready to go above and beyond the £85m they earmarked for Fernandes to ensure they don’t miss out on Tchouameni if Real Madrid open doors to the blockbuster move.
The Spanish outlet declared: ‘In Tchouaméni’s case, the team that desperately wants him is Manchester United.
‘This interest isn’t new, but the English club is reportedly prepared to offer a substantial sum, over €100 million / £85 million, to sign him.
‘Tchouaméni is a key player for Mourinho and has no intention of leaving, but if the offer is substantial, everything could change.’
But while Man Utd are clearly ready to make a gigantic bid, Fabrizio Romano has outlined the two issues negatively impacting their chances of pulling off this coup.
Two issues hurting Man Utd’s chances for ‘dream signing’
He stated on his YouTube channel: “What I have always said, and what I also maintain today, is that internally at Manchester United, Tchouameni has always been seen as the perfect signing for midfield.
“Top player, elite mentality, world class, so they consider Tchouameni as the perfect replacement for Casemiro.
“Then the point here is on two topics. The first one is the salary.
“Tchouameni is on a very big salary at Real Madrid, and at the moment, the understanding is that Manchester United made already clear to those close to Tchouameni in the contacts they had over the recent months that the only way for Tchouameni to go eventually to Man Utd is on a different salary. And so, that’s the first issue.
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“The second issue is Real Madrid. At the moment, Man Utd are yet to receive any green light from Real Madrid to go and negotiate for Tchouameni.
“At the moment, they are not receiving any sort of message from Madrid, like, okay, let’s sit at a table and try reach an agreement.
“So, the question is could be the dream signing for Man Utd?
“For sure. He is a player they like, they love, but at the same time the Tchouameni situation could be complicated because of the salary and what Real Madrid decide.”
