Manchester United are progressing towards the signings of Atalanta midfielder Ederson and West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes as they look to bolster their squad this summer, according to multiple reports. The club reportedly has around £200million available for transfers, a figure that will be supplemented by player sales.
United initially pursued Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, but were quoted a fee exceeding £100million, potentially rising to £125million, prompting them to shift focus to Ederson and Fernandes. Talks with Atalanta for Ederson are described as ‘advanced’ by talkSPORT, with an expected transfer fee of around £43million, though United are attempting to negotiate the price down to £38million.
Alongside the pursuit of Ederson, INEOS chiefs are reportedly accelerating discussions with representatives of Mateus Fernandes. West Ham, recently relegated from the Premier League, were initially hoping for a fee of £80million for the Portuguese player, but are now said to be willing to accept between €50-60million (£43-52million).
ESPN reports that funds from potential sales of Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir and Manuel Ugarte will further increase United’s transfer budget. Following the anticipated arrival of two midfielders, the club intends to target a left winger, a centre-half, and a left-back, with initial enquiries already made regarding potential candidates in those positions. There is even a possibility of a sixth signing if a third midfielder is deemed necessary, with Southampton’s Shea Charles identified as a potential option.
Should United fail to secure Ederson or Fernandes, alternatives such as Sandro Tonali and Carlos Baleba have been identified. Other attacking targets include Morgan Rogers, Yan Diomande, Iliman Ndiaye and Rafael Leao, with intermediaries reportedly offering Leao to United for a fee of €50million (£43million). Defensively, the club is monitoring Murillo of Forest and Castello Lukeba of RB Leipzig, while also exploring the possibility of signing Lewis Hall from Newcastle United.
