\n<\/p>\n
\t\t\t17<\/i><\/p>\n
After a rampant start to the summer transfer window, Manchester United\u2019s midfield rebuild has begun to show signs of uncertainty. A \u00a339 million agreement for Ederson was struck at the beginning of the month, while talks were held for Mateus Fernandes as an alternative to Elliot Anderson.<\/p>\n
However, Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s hijack of the move for Fernandes, in combination with Manchester City agreeing a club-record deal for Anderson, has left United scrambling for alternatives to fix an engine room on the verge of stalling.<\/p>\n
With Casemiro having sealed a free transfer to Inter Miami, and the plan to sell Manuel Ugarte torpedoed by his serious knee injury, Kobbie Mainoo remains the only midfielder with a long-term future at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n
United are understood to have pivoted towards Bournemouth maestro Alex Scott as their new priority target. The Cherries are adamant the 22-year-old Guernsey native is not for sale, however, with manager Marco Rose considering him a vital part of his new side.<\/p>\n
Aurelien Tchouameni, 26, remains the \u2018dream\u2019 target to succeed Casemiro, as he did when joining Real Madrid in 2022. There are said to be talks planned this week, but a deal feels a remote possibility as Jose Mourinho is happy for the France international to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.<\/p>\n
Carlos Baleba is another option, though Brighton & Hove Albion\u2019s exorbitant demands will prove as prohibitive as they did last summer. Similarly, United admire Crystal Palace playmaker Adam Wharton, but the England international is considered too similar stylistically to Mainoo.<\/p>\n
This has led to alternatives, such as Borussia Dortmund star Felix Nmecha or Scott\u2019s teammate at the Vitality Stadium, Tyler Adams, being explored. But Andrey Santos \u2013 Chelsea\u2019s box-to-box dynamo \u2013 is a name now quickly rising the ranks in M16, as explained by The Peoples Person<\/em> here.<\/p>\n Santos, 22, is an all-action midfielder, capable of playing in the No.6 or No.8 roles. This flexibility will be attractive to the hierarchy at Old Trafford as they search for versatile solutions for Michael Carrick.<\/p>\n The Brazil international is well-rounded, smart in possession and strong in duels. He possesses a relentless engine and has adapted to the rigour of English football well, having previously shone on loan for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg in France.<\/p>\n But he faces the unenviable task of trying to displace either Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez in west London, two of the Premier League\u2019s best midfielders and undisputed starters for the Blues.<\/p>\n As a result, Santos is understood to be exploring an exit from Stamford Bridge this summer, with United having held exploratory talks with his camp. There have been no club-to-club negotiations, though Chelsea are also open to a sale, provided their \u00a350 million valuation is met.<\/p>\n TEAMtalk<\/em> reveals the Rio da Janeiro native has a \u201cstrong desire for regular first-team football\u201d and is prepared to prioritise minutes on the pitch above all else.<\/p>\n \u201cSantos is understood to be prioritising a move where he can establish himself as a regular starter, an ambition that appears increasingly difficult at Chelsea amid their deep squad and revolving managerial situation. <\/p>\n \u201cHaving impressed during a loan stint at Strasbourg, the midfielder is now seeking a fresh challenge at a club where he can play a central role in midfield and be a very important player.\u201d<\/p>\n Sources close to Santos indicate he considers United a \u201cvery attractive destination\u201d, viewing a switch to Old Trafford as an \u201copportunity to develop under a structured environment and compete for trophies in the Premier League and Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n Described as \u201cworld-class\u201d by his former manager, Liam Rosenior, who has compared him to Brazilian legend, Dunga, Santos\u2019 potential to develop into an excellent midfielder is obvious. A price tag of \u00a350 million is relatively cheap in comparison to the other targets on United\u2019s radar in the Premier League, further explaining the decision to pivot towards him.<\/p>\n However, there is an obvious overlap in signing another<\/em> versatile Brazilian enforcer after already agreeing a \u00a339m deal for Ederson. If Santos and Ederson are balanced by a blockbuster capture of Tchouameni, this will feel like a more reasonable triumvirate, even if it lacks playmaking ability.<\/p>\n But if Santos arrives alongside his compatriot, while a pursuit of Scott proves successful, United will be left with four relatively inexperienced or unproven midfielders while spending the best part of \u00a3200m to secure them. In short, Santos would be an excellent third-choice recruit in midfield, if the club had not made that exact signing already.<\/p>\n Feature image Eddie Keogh via Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n The Peoples Person has been one of the world\u2019s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 17 After a rampant start to the summer transfer window, Manchester United\u2019s midfield rebuild has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Open to Old Trafford<\/h5>\n
Final Thoughts<\/h5>\n