Man Utd to make ‘serious’ £50m move for Prem midfielder after Ederson signs | OneFootball

Manchester United will ‘soon’ make a ‘serious’ play to sign an £80m-rated Premier League midfielder they hope can be signed for a much more modest £50m, according to reports.

During much of the build-up to the summer transfer window, the expectation was Man Utd would sign two new central midfielders. However, numerous sources including Fabrizio Romano and Dean Jones are now stating there could be three.

With Casemiro leaving via free agency and Manuel Ugarte up for sale, a triple coup will not only give Michael Carrick better quality in the middle, but improved strength in depth ahead of United’s return to the Champions League too.

First up, all being well, will be Ederson Silva. Man Utd have fully agreed personal terms with the 26-year-old Atalanta man.

Discussions between the clubs regarding a transfer believed to be worth between £35m-£38m are ongoing and advanced.

Ideally, United owners INEOS would make Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson arrival number two.

He is the dream target at Old Trafford, though bitter rivals Manchester City have agreed personal terms with the player and club-to-club talks with Forest are progressing smoothly.

Man Utd do reportedly intend to make an eleventh hour attempt to divert Anderson to the red half of Manchester, though there aren’t any suggestions they’ll succeed with that endeavour.

As such, alternatives must be explored and a player high on Man Utd’s shortlist is Mateus Fernandes of West Ham.

The Portugal international is expected to be given the green light to leave after the Hammers suffered relegation to the Championship.

Man Utd to make ‘serious’ Mateus Fernandes move

Fernandes, according to the i paper, has made Man Utd his ‘first pick’. Clearly, ironing out an agreement should be a breeze.

Our colleagues over on TEAMtalk previously revealed West Ham now value Fernandes at £80m on the back of his stellar season. He was signed for half that amount when arriving from Southampton one year ago.

But with the Hammers’ bargaining power weakened by their relegation, the latest from transfer insider, Dean Jones, states Man Utd reckon £50m can get the deal done.

Jones wrote for Flashscore: ‘The Red Devils are planning to touch base soon to declare their interest, following West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League.

‘Flashscore understands United want to sign three midfield players during the transfer window and 21-year-old Fernandes has emerged as one of the names under serious consideration.

‘There is belief that Fernandes will become available on the market and United are looking to understand the terms he could be signed for. They value him in the region of £50 million, and want to assess whether a reasonable deal can be completed.

‘Sources close to West Ham believe the London club are likely to push for other clubs to come into the mix, in hope they can spark a bidding war and drive up his price.’