BREAKING NEWS: Man United lineup SEVEN players for Sale as INEOS releases yet another £360m for biggest transfer upgrade,list of outgoing players confirmed

Manchester United are re-evaluating their targets in central midfield after missing out on Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, with two journalists having detailed their latest plans.

Earlier this year, Man Utd installed Anderson as their No 1 midfield target, only to be put off by Nottingham Forest’s huge valuation. Man Utd did not want to pay over £100million for the Englishman, and he subsequently agreed to join rivals Manchester City for £116m.

Michael Carrick’s side then turned their attention to West Ham United’s Fernandes. However, they were wary about meeting his £85m price tag, which has seen Tottenham Hotspur swoop in instead.

Newcastle United’s Tonali was another option on Man Utd’s shortlist, despite the Italian being rated at a huge £100m. Remarkably, Spurs have beaten Man Utd to that deal as well, agreeing to buy Tonali for an initial £92.5m plus £7.5m in potential add-ons.

United have already struck an agreement worth £35m to sign Ederson from Atalanta, but they are stepping up plans for more midfield arrivals.

According to the Manchester Evening News’ senior United writer, Tyrone Marshall, Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott are emerging as key targets for INEOS after their recent transfer misses.

Out of those two players, Tchouameni is viewed as the dream target at Old Trafford. United have admired the Frenchman for several years and would love to make him their new No 6.

The report explains how United have been given indications Tchouameni might be available for transfer this summer as Jose Mourinho plots to rebuild his own midfield. But Madrid sources continue to insist Tchouameni will not be sold, which may force United to wait.

While United hold active interest in Tchouameni and Scott, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace are no longer being pursued.

They are still keeping tabs on Baleba but have been put off by Brighton’s huge demands, as the Seagulls quoted £100m for him last summer.

Baleba’s price tag has since fallen down to around £80m. That is because he had a difficult 2025-26 campaign, which is another concern for United.

Want more breaking news and transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Man Utd want Tchouameni over Wharton, Baleba
£70m-rated Wharton, meanwhile, is seen as being too similar to Kobbie Mainoo, so United have completely cooled on that potential move.

Tchouameni is reportedly valued by Madrid at £70m, the same price as Wharton. His signing would be superb for United as he is generally regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

There are conflicting reports over whether United will be able to snare Tchouameni this summer.