Manchester United are planning major moves to improve their midfield this summer, and they have already held talks with one target over the last six weeks, according to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs.
The Red Devils will see Casemiro depart when his contract comes to an end at the end of the campaign, while the expectation is that Manuel Ugarte will also be on the move, with United targeting two or three new midfield signings, with a big budget set aside to get deals done.
The club are eyeing a number of targets to fill the holes in their squad, but are yet to settle on their first-choice targets beyond Elliot Anderson, but that hasn’t stopped them from making moves behind the scenes.
Man Utd Hold Talks With ‘Elite’ Star
While appearing on The United Stand, it was reported by Ben Jacobs that Portugal international Mateus Fernandes is a target for Man Utd this summer, as they eye up options on the cheaper side of their budget to balance things out.
Fernandes, described as ‘elite’, is someone the club have been keeping a close eye on, and it has now emerged that they have held talks with his representatives over the last 4-6 weeks to discover the terms of a deal should West Ham be relegated to the Championship.
“With Mateus Fernandes, if you’ve followed the show over the last few months, you’ll have already heard me say he’s a Manchester United target. That was backed up last week by several media outlets – nothing new,” he said.
“Man Utd have been in talks with the player’s side for, I’m told, 4-6 weeks, and they are to establish terms to see whether the player is open, and he is, and contingent on whether West Ham go down or stay up.
“If they stay up, the deal will likely be off the table, at least without significantly overpaying, because West Ham will fight to keep, and West Ham sources even say they’ll sit down with the player and they’ll look to give him improved terms.
“If they go down it gets interesting, because the player doesn’t want to be in the Championship. Still, a payment would be needed of more than what West Ham paid, which, to my knowledge, was £38m and £4m in add-ons. If you’ve got a £70m budget, maybe £75m, for each midfielder, Mateus Fernandes is going to be cheaper than some of the other names, maybe giving extra shifted budget towards a midfielder approaching £100m.”
Fernandes Would Be Perfect Man Utd Arrival
United know that they have money to spend this summer, but they refuse to be taken for a ride by selling clubs and agents, and want to know all their options before committing to deals.
Fernandes is someone who is on the verge of a second relegation in as many seasons, but his performances individually have been very impressive and it’s no surprise that he is likely to get another shot at the top-flight.
A deal worth around £50m or less would be excellent value when considering his attributes and how it could help the club to potentially spend more on their marquee signings, and this is a deal that fans should be excited about.
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