United eye Dortmund's Nmecha as £100m Mateus Fernandes alternative emerges

Manchester United are monitoring Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha as a contingency option should their pursuit of West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes prove too costly, with reports from Germany linking the club to the 25-year-old during the ongoing World Cup.

United are working to make Fernandes their second midfield signing of the summer, but West Ham value the 21-year-old at £80 million and Tottenham are also in the running. Gary Neville, speaking during ITV’s coverage of Germany’s win against Ivory Coast, noted the financial reality facing United. “At the moment, we hear Manchester United are being quoted £100 million for the West Ham boy Fernandes, so they’re going to have to be looking around this tournament and parts of Europe,” Neville said of the market. Of Nmecha specifically, he added: “He looked outstanding the other night, it looked like he had absolutely everything.”

Should the Fernandes deal escalate in the same way the Elliot Anderson pursuit did — when Manchester City submitted a bid of more than £120 million — United will look elsewhere, and Nmecha fits the profile of an all-round midfielder capable of slotting into their system.

Crucially, United director of football Jason Wilcox has a direct line of knowledge on Nmecha. The pair overlapped at Manchester City’s academy, where Wilcox served as a coach before eventually becoming head of the academy. Nmecha spent around 12 years in City’s system before being released in the summer of 2021 having made just three first-team appearances.

Since leaving the Etihad, Nmecha has developed significantly — first at Wolfsburg and then at Dortmund — and his World Cup performances have raised his profile further. His brother Lukas, also a former City academy product, has already made the move back to England with Leeds. Felix, whose physical attributes and engine draw comparisons to a natural Premier League midfielder, could follow a similar path if his tournament form continues to attract attention.