United miss out on Fernandes and Anderson, leaving midfield rebuild in doubt

Manchester United’s midfield rebuild has stalled after the club missed out on their top two summer targets, with Tottenham completing an £85million deal for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes — a fee United were unwilling to match — and Manchester City securing Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson for £116million.

Spurs agreed to meet West Ham’s valuation for the 21-year-old Fernandes, something United declined to do. The double setback leaves Ruben Amorim’s side still searching for an elite central midfielder, despite having already brought Ederson in from Atalanta for £35million. The urgency has increased following Casemiro’s departure at the end of last season.

With their first-choice options gone, United’s attention has turned to a revised shortlist. Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has been on their radar for much of the season, and his stock has risen sharply as other targets have moved on. The England midfielder delivered an outstanding campaign for the Cherries, earning a call-up to the national team’s pre-World Cup training camp, and has also attracted interest from Arsenal. Bournemouth are keen to tie Scott down to a new contract and may include a release clause — a strategy they used with Antoine Semenyo, who subsequently joined Manchester City mid-season.

Aurélien Tchouaméni represents the most prominent name still in consideration. United have been monitoring the France international for several months after learning that a Real Madrid exit this summer is not entirely off the table. Real officials insist he will remain at the club, and José Mourinho is also said to want to keep him, but United would move quickly if circumstances changed — particularly if Real were to bring in a high-profile midfielder of their own.

Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is another option, though United have already walked away from him once. They showed interest 12 months ago before being deterred by the Seagulls’ £100million asking price. Despite Baleba enduring a difficult season on the south coast, Brighton have shown little willingness to reduce their valuation, leaving any deal complicated.

United’s pattern this window — losing Anderson to a rival’s superior financial commitment and Fernandes to Tottenham’s readiness to pay full price — underlines the tension between the club’s budget constraints and the market rates for top midfield talent.