Man Utd: Real Madrid reach ‘big sale’ decision as £80m hijack could benefit Red Devils | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United in December 2018, and yet, nearly eight years on – having returned to Real Madrid – the Portuguese boss is still deciding how the Red Devils midfield will look next season.

After Marc Cucurella’s shock £52m move from Chelsea and Bernardo Silva’s free transfer from Manchester City were confirmed this week, following the additions of Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool (free) and Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan (£17m), Mourinho’s next target in his Los Blancos rebuild is a box-to-box midfielder.

Marca claimed on Wednesday that Mourinho has picked Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez as his ‘first-choice’ option despite Chelsea slapping a £120m price tag on the playmaker, after Ben Jacobs confirmed the Argentina international is ‘keen’ to join Cucurella in swapping Stamford Bridge for the Bernabeu.

Jacobs wrote on X: ‘Enzo Fernandez is keen to join Marc Cucurella at Real Madrid, and has made no secret of wanting to leave Chelsea. Chelsea’s asking price remains £120m, as revealed last month. Club calm about the situation, but will sell at the right price.

‘Real Madrid are currently deciding on the type of midfield profile they want. Mateus Fernandes and Rodri two other names discussed.’

AS back Jacobs’ claim, but suggest Rodri has fallen down their shortlist as Mourinho has ‘two names on the agenda: Mateus Fernandes and Enzo Fernandez’.

On the basis of that revelation alone, Manchester United will be hoping Real Madrid can find the funds for Fernandez as they take strides to land £80m Fernandes from West Ham.

On United’s Fernandes chase, Fabrizio Romano revealed on Wednesday: “Manchester United want to get the player. Manchester United are in direct contact with the player’s camp and the player is very keen on a move to Manchester United.”

A blessing in disguise

A Real Madrid approach would likely change things – few players turn them down – but according to AS, a Los Blancos move for Fernandes could be a blessing in disguise for the Red Devils.

‘Given the large volume of players they are incorporating, Real Madrid are open to making a big sale in the centre of the field’, the report states, particularly with the acquisition of either Fernandez or Fernandes in mind.

The big-name exit will be either Eduardo Camavinga or Aurelien Tchouameni, it’s claimed.

Both have been linked with moves to the Premier League, and Manchester United specifically, but reports suggest the Red Devils are more interested in Tchouameni to partner Kobbie Mainoo in midfield than his compatriot.

Tchouameni has historically been seen as a more crucial cog for Madrid than Camavinga, but it remains to be seen how Mourinho will view the pair and which of them he will make available for transfer.

If Tchouameni – whose fight with Federico Valverde could have long-lasting consequences for his future with Los Blancos – is put up for sale then United may willingly back out of a battle with the La Liga giants for Fernandes.