Berrada warns Manchester United may not land marquee midfield signing this summer

Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has tempered expectations over a marquee midfield signing this summer, stressing that the club must remain disciplined and stick to a defined budget rather than let agents or market forces drive their decisions.

United have been searching for a long-term Casemiro replacement and had earmarked significant funds for the role, but the options are narrowing. Elliot Anderson is understood to prefer a move to Manchester City, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has confirmed Aurelien Tchouameni will stay at the Bernabeu, and Newcastle’s improved financial position makes a deal for Sandro Tonali increasingly difficult.

The club have agreed a deal with Atalanta to sign Ederson for £35 million plus £3.8 million in add-ons, though he is viewed as squad depth rather than an immediate starter. United are also monitoring West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, with West Ham valuing the midfielder at £80 million — a figure widely considered ambitious for a relegated club. Formal talks between the two clubs had not begun earlier in the week, though that may have changed following the Ederson agreement.

Spending on both Ederson and Fernandes could reach around £100 million, which would still theoretically leave room for a further addition. But Berrada’s public comments suggest restraint will define United’s approach.

“We have to be really disciplined, it’s simple,” Berrada said in an interview with club media. “We have a plan, we know what we can invest, and we have to stick to that. It’s very important that you don’t let the market or the agents dictate what we should be doing.”

Berrada indicated that last summer’s transfer approach — which blended experience with younger talent, and Premier League-proven players with standout performers from other leagues — would serve as the template again. “I do think what we saw last season is a good way forward for us,” he said. “We want a mix of experience and youth, we want a mix of players who have demonstrated they can perform in the Premier League and perhaps also players who are doing very well outside the Premier League.”

He also acknowledged that windows rarely unfold exactly as planned. “You always go into a window, and you don’t know how you’re going to come out of it, but you have to be really prepared. There could be exits we’re not expecting, there could be opportunities in the market that perhaps weren’t there at the beginning of the window. So, we have to be ready, we have to be agile and flexible.”

With the midfield market tightening and the club’s budget under scrutiny, United may ultimately enter next season without the high-profile central addition many supporters had anticipated.