Man Utd have cooled their interest in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said that the Red Devils have ultimately decided that the Italian international is too expensive:
“In the case of Tonali, the appreciation remains, but at this stage the deal is not considered advanced or particularly concrete. The overall cost of the operation, including both salary and transfer fee, is currently viewed as too high.”
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“As things stand today, Man Utd are relatively cold on the possibility of signing Tonali.”
Tonali’s asking price is much higher than other targets
Various reports have claimed that Newcastle would demand as much as £100m for the 26-year-old. Out of the midfield options that United are considering, only Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson would cost more.
The likes of Mateus Fernandes (£80m), Adam Wharton (£80m), Carlos Baleba (£80m) and Alex Scott (£60m) are on the market for lower amounts.
With Newcastle not expected to sell Tonali for less than their current valuation, it looks like any hopes of him moving to Manchester are dead in the water.
Man Utd have started talks to sign another midfielder
It is believed that Michael Carrick’s team have begun discussions with the entourage of Mateus Fernandes. Competition for the 21-year-old is likely to be fierce.
Reports in Spain have suggested that Real Madrid could look to hijack United’s move for the Portuguese international, with their manager Jose Mourinho a big fan.
Arsenal and Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in Fernandes, so getting buy-in from the player is key.
Captain Bruno Fernandes could be crucial to recruiting his namesake. The West Ham star has described the 31-year-old as his role model in the past, so that could help in terms of ensuring that he makes the switch to Old Trafford instead of elsewhere.
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