Manchester United are prepared to break their transfer record by paying £100m for Sandro Tonali, and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed another blockbuster coup worth £85m is ON.
Ederson is the first midfielder in Man Utd’s overhaul in central areas, but he won’t be the last. With Casemiro heading to Inter Miami via free agency and Manuel Ugarte up for sale, it’s now anticipated two more will follow Ederson into Old Trafford.
Next up is shaping up to be West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, who was bought by the Hammers from Southampton for £40m just one year ago.
And despite West Ham’s season ending in relegation, Fernandes’ stock has soared, with Fabrizio Romano now revealing the Hammers value the Portuguese at an eye-watering £85m.
TEAMtalk confirmed earlier on Monday that Man Utd has made fresh contacts with Fernandes’ camp. We also verified interest from back-to-back Champions League winners, PSG, meaning Man Utd don’t have a deal all to themselves.
And on Monday night, transfer guru Romano provided his take on the situation when reporting on his YouTube channel. Talks, per the reporter, are very much ON.
“I can guarantee two things,” declared Romano. “Man Utd are in direct conversations with the agents of Mateus Fernandes.
“Man Utd made contact over the last 48 hours with the agents of the player, and Man Utd started conversations about eventual cost of the deal, transfer fee and also salary.”
Romano then went on to state the price West Ham have “decided” on before greenlighting Fernandes’ sale is £85m.
The trusted reporter concluded by declaring Fernandes “will leave, for sure”. The only question is where he goes, and Man Utd are positioning themselves to win the race.
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Man Utd to sign Ederson, Mateus Fernandes AND Sandro Tonali?
Tonali is understood to be the top midfield target of new permanent boss, Michael Carrick.
Tonali is valued at a hefty £100m by Newcastle, and a deal on that scale would make the Italian Man Utd’s new record signing.
The latest from Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb stated the Red Devils are now prepared to match Newcastle’s £100m valuation.
And per The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards – who specialises in covering Newcastle – some within the Magpies’ hierarchy now ‘expect’ Tonali to go.
He wrote: ‘As painful as it might be for supporters, they should also brace themselves for another big-name departure.
‘Tonali could also leave before the start of the season – although the asking price of about £100m will inevitably cause problems for interested parties – and some within the club expect rather than fear his departure.
‘The Italy international’s agent has been offering him to clubs in England and Europe, hoping to persuade someone to bid for the 26-year-old.
‘The important thing for Newcastle is their succession planning. They already know who they want to sign should Tonali leave. That does not mean he will definitely be sold, but they are prepared for that scenario.’
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