Manchester United are working on signing Mateus Fernandes, but Jose Mourinho’s desires could see them resort to Aurelien Tchouameni.
The Red Devils have already secured an agreement with Atalanta for Ederson, who will arrive on a £39 million deal.
The Brazilian will be followed by at least another midfielder, or more likely two, especially if Manuel Ugarte is sold.
Jose Mourinho wants Mateus Fernandes at Real Madrid
Over the past few days, several reliable sources confirmed that Man Utd have opened a dialogue with West Ham for Fernandes, who is currently valued at £80 million.
Jason Wilcox and Co. aren’t willing to meet the Hammer’s asking price, so they’re working on driving the figure down.
But despite making progress in their talks with the player’s entourage, they risk missing out on the 21-year-old. While Paris Saint-Germain have also been tracking the Portuguese player, recent reports indicate interest from Real Madrid.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed Jose Mourinho has asked Los Merengues’ management to pursue his young compatriot, who also has the same agent in Jorge Mendes.
Nevertheless, the transfer market expert believes the Spanish capital club would likely have to sell a midfielder to make room for Mateus, as they’re also expected to finalise a deal with former Manchester City captain, Bernardo Silva, who can sign as a free agent.
Could Man Utd end up signing Aurelien Tchouameni
While Romano didn’t mention which midfielder could be on his way out of the Santiago Bernabeu, Tchouameni could be one of the main suspects, especially following his infamous brawl with Federico Valverde.
The 26-year-old, who was hailed by Paul Pogba for his ‘extraordinary technical and physical quality’, could be the ideal profile to replace Casemiro in the holding midfielder role, having already inherited the Brazilian’s position at Madrid in 2022.
This could be a golden opportunity for the Red Devils, as instead of spending £80 million on Mateus, whose experience at the top level remains limited, they can end up acquiring the more experienced Tchouameni for £70 million or perhaps less.
Percentiles Duel% Poss won Prog carries Fwd passes Fwd pass% Key passes Prog passes Minutes
A. Tchouaméni 97.2 76.6 27.6 95.8 98.9 33.3 89.3 2854
Casemiro 75.7 100.0 11.1 90.0 34.7 54.0 84.3 2776
Mateus Fernandes 82.4 83.5 58.3 60.4 74.5 55.5 64.6 3302
(Stats via DataMB)
As the metrics above show, Tchouameni would be a more natural successor for Casemiro than Fernandes, who thrives in carrying the ball forward, a characteristic often synanymous with box-to-box midfielders.
On the other hand, the French midfielder’s numbers depict a midfield general who shields the backline, wins back possession and brings the ball forward through passes rather than drives.
Tchouameni’s contract with Madrid is valid until June 2028.
Michel is a football journalist based in Beirut who has been passionately following Man United for over 20 years. He is a Law graduate and a member of the Beirut Bar Association. In addition to writing for Utd Report, he is also the Head Writer for The Laziali has been a Featured Writer on other websites including Juve FC, and The Cult of Calcio, and Stretty News.
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