According to reports, Manchester United already have a ‘plan’ for a ‘huge’ double deal as they ‘want to bring in two new midfielders’.
There was a significant overhaul at Man Utd in the summer. They spent around £230m on signings, with Senne Lammens, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha their most notable signings.
The Red Devils also offloaded unwanted talents to balance the books, as Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony moved elsewhere.
Despite this, it seems that Ruben Amorim‘s side remains way short of their Big Six rivals, and it’s unclear whether the head coach’s system can work with his squad.
Man Utd are still far too easy to play through as they are yet to find the right blend with a suitable centre-midfield partnership after they failed to land Brighton standout Carlos Baleba in the summer.
READ: Ranking the 20 biggest PL summer transfers from Chelsea ace to Liverpool flop
United were priced out of a move for Baleba amid reports suggesting that he could have cost as much as £100m.
Despite this, it has also been reported that they will return for Baleba in 2026, with journalist Dean Jones for our pals at TEAMtalk claiming that the Red Devils have a ‘huge double signing planned’.
It is noted that their focus is on strengthening in midfield, with one signing ‘in January and another in the summer’.
The report claims Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson is ‘first up in January’, while Baleba is their ‘dream signing’ for the summer.
Man Utd reportedly ‘admirers of Anderson and he figures highly on their shortlist’, and while ‘luring him from the City Ground won’t be easy’, a ‘sudden change’ could boost their chances.
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The report claims:
‘Forest are unwilling to lose one of their most important players at all, particularly halfway through the season.
‘But the sudden managerial change at the City Ground, with Ange Postecoglou replacing Nuno, means United are to keep a close watch on Anderson’s situation.’
Earlier this week, former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown explained why Man Utd “have been looking at Anderson”.
“Man United have been looking at Anderson,” Brown told Football Insider.
“He’s done a tremendous job at Nottingham Forest and then he’s come into the England side and turned in a man-of-the-match performance.
“United see him as exactly the type of midfielder they would like to bring in. He gets up and down the park, he’s confident and secure in possession of the ball, and he’s not afraid to put in a tackle which is something they need.
“Anderson would solve, or certainly help with, a lot of the issues they’ve had under Amorim. Everybody knows they wanted a midfielder in the summer but they couldn’t find the right one who was available at the price they wanted.
“I don’t know what Anderson would cost, but he is somebody who’s been on their radar. He would be the ideal player to fill the gaps they’ve had in the squad.”