Man Utd ‘offer’ £101m for two players with fee for ‘new Pedri’ set to accelerate negotiations | OneFootball

Man Utd have made bids for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Red Devils are looking to sign at least one new midfielder over the next couple of transfer windows as they continue to build a head of steam under Ruben Amorim.

Man Utd are currently five unbeaten in the Premier League as they can look up, instead of behind them, for a change under Amorim.

The Red Devils could be set for years if they get their midfield recruitment right and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has insisted that Amorim wants to bring in players in January if they can contribute in the long term as he avoids short-term fixes.

Romano told his YouTube channel: “The conversations have started between Ruben Amorim, the board, the management of Manchester United ahead of the January window.

“I told you about the midfielder. I told you that Manchester United are looking for that position. But just in general, Amorim and the management of Man United are talking about the January window, the opportunities and what to do with the players who want to play more.”

Romano added: “Ruben Amorim is not in for bringing in a player for just few months. A player will join Manchester United if they believe the player could be an option for the long term.

“If someone joins in January it is a player who Man United can trust for the present but also for the future. This is the message of Ruben Amorim. Let’s not add players who can help for a few games and then they go back to their club.

“Let’s add someone who can help us today and tomorrow. So this is the message of the coach and this will be the idea also for the January transfer window.”

And now a report from Spanish website Fichajes, which can usually be taken with a pinch of salt, insists that Man Utd have made an ‘offer’ of €25m (£22m) for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Smit with Ronald Koeman recently dubbing him ‘the new Pedri’.

The report adds: ‘The sporting management wants to focus on young profiles that can consolidate and grow at Old Trafford, avoiding exorbitant outlays for established footballers.

‘In Manchester, they believe that its price, relatively low for the current market, could make it one of the most profitable moves of next summer.’

Netherlands boss Koeman recently said of Dutch international Smit: “I almost regret mentioning his name again [Pedri], but he’s a guy who plays in the same position.

“The way he turns away from his opponent, the way he scans the area, his two-footedness… I saw that in Pedri too. If he gets half his career, we’ll be very happy in the Netherlands.”

Smit is not the only midfielder Man Utd have in their sights with other reports in Spain claiming that the Red Devils want to sign Real Madrid’s Tchouameni.

Man Utd have ‘put forward an offer of €70 million (£62m) plus €20 million (£17m) in add-ons to try and lure him away from the Santiago Bernabéu’ but Real Madrid president Florentino Perez ‘hasn’t even considered opening negotiations’.

The report adds: ‘For the Real Madrid president, Tchouaméni is completely untouchable , someone who fits perfectly into the new backbone designed to dominate Europe for the next decade. And no offer, however large, can change that view.’