Berrada lays down transfer message as United insist they will not be swayed from summer plan | OneFootball

Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has issued an unambiguous statement on the club’s summer transfer approach, insisting INEOS will not be dictated to by agents or inflated market valuations.

Speaking on United’s Inside Carrington podcast, as reported by BBC Sport journalist Simon Stone, Berrada was emphatic: “We have to be really disciplined. We have a plan, we know what we can invest and we need to stick to it. It’s very important you don’t let the market or the agents dictate what we should be doing.”

Berrada outlines United’s summer transfer stance

Berrada was unequivocal that the blueprint from last summer – which delivered Champions League football for the first time in three years – is the template INEOS intend to follow. “The template for what we did last summer will be replicated,” he confirmed, pointing to the early acquisitions of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, followed by Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens at the window’s close, as proof of concept.

The recruitment structure underpinning that approach is now firmly in place. Director of Football Jason Wilcox, Director of Recruitment Christopher Vivell, and Director of Negotiations Matt Hargreaves will all play central roles, with Berrada describing Wilcox’s team as “well set up to execute that plan.” It is a far cry from the chaotic, reactive windows that produced Casemiro, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Donny van de Beek at extortionate fees and wages.

Nevertheless, Berrada was careful to acknowledge that windows rarely go entirely to script. “There could be exits you weren’t expecting or opportunities that weren’t there at the beginning of the window. We have to be agile and flexible,” he said – a caveat that will matter as United navigate what promises to be a complex few months.

What Berrada’s stance means for United’s summer business

In practical terms, the discipline Berrada preaches is already being tested. United have agreed a £35m deal with Atalanta for Brazilian midfielder Ederson, 26, with a medical scheduled shortly before pre-season – a move that ticks the value-for-money box squarely. West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, rated at £80m, remains a strong area of interest as United look to add at least one, potentially two, further central midfielders.

Where the line has already been drawn, however, is instructive. Club sources have confirmed United will not pursue Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson at his £120m valuation – a figure deemed simply incompatible with the stated plan. INEOS are also expected to fund further incomings through outgoings, with several fringe players likely to depart to generate the headroom required under Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules.

United also want a striker to support Sesko and a left-sided option, with Patrick Dorgu considered too attacking-minded by head coach Michael Carrick to fill that role. INEOS are understood to be working within a summer budget framework that demands precision rather than extravagance. It will be interesting to see whether that discipline holds when the market inevitably attempts to push prices upward in the weeks ahead.