Man Utd decide ‘Plan A, B, C’ midfield targets as INEOS to ‘be at the front of queue’ for £100m signing

In partnership with

Football365

·31 de março de 2026

Man Utd decide ‘Plan A, B, C’ midfield targets as INEOS to ‘be at the front of queue’ for £100m signing

According to reports, Manchester United have decided who their ‘Plan A, B and C’ midfield targets are for this summer’s transfer window.

It has been common knowledge for a while that the Red Devils will prioritise overhauling their midfield this summer.

Vídeos OneFootball

After fixing their attack and goalkeeper departments last summer, United’s midfield is next on INEOS’ agenda and they are likely to make at least two signings in this department ahead of this season.

This is partly because Casemiro is confirmed to be leaving upon the expiry of his contract in the summer, while it has emerged that Manuel Ugarte is among seven other players who will also move on.

Man Utd have been linked with a wide array of potential midfield targets in recent months, with INEOS presumably hard at work at identifying their preferred signings.

Last summer, United tried to sign Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, but they were priced out of a £100m+ transfer and they appear to have moved on to other targets due to the midfielder’s disappointing form this season.

According to a new report from The Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is their ‘Plan A’, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali is their ‘Plan B’ and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is their ‘Plan C’.

The report states Anderson has been United’s ‘No.1 target for several months’, but arch-rivals Manchester City are ‘ahead in the race right now’ and are ‘looking to accelerate prior to the World Cup’.

However, the same report claims Man Utd are far better-placed to land Tonali.

‘The Italian remains high on United’s board and while some insiders have been keen to cool talk around him in the past few days, his name is not going to disappear off it, especially if Anderson to City edges closer. ‘United have spent recent months determined to land at least one A-grade midfielder, with Anderson top of their wishlist. But Tonali is expected to be a moveable asset – albeit an expensive one – this summer and when that materialises, expect United to be front of the queue.’

Newcastle reportedly value Tonali at £100m and chief executive David Hopkinson has shed light on their transfer “strategy”.

“Going forward, our strategy is to buy well and sell well,” Hopkinson said.

“Buying well does not necessarily mean spending the most money. It means working in the marketplace for the players that generate the most value for this club rather than the fee paid for them.

“So there are a multitude of strategies we need to employ, including developing our own, looking for opportunities in the marketplace and making sure we are maximising our opportunity within the available price we can produce.”