Manchester United are NOT proceeding with attempts to sign Michael Carrick’s No 1 midfield target, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Man Utd will aim to sign two more midfielders after Ederson, though they’ve already pulled the plug on Elliot Anderson.
After watching Manchester City fail with a mammoth £121m (£106m plus £15m in add-ons) bid, United baulked at the counter-offer Nottingham Forest put forward.
Forest are demanding a minimum of £120m in guaranteed payments for Anderson. It’s a sum that Man Utd do not believe represents sound business.
With that avenue closed, focus switched back to Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali who despite the sale of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, is expected to leave St. James’ Park this summer too.
What’s more, the highly-respected Gianluca Di Marzio recently claimed Tonali is actually Michael Carrick’s top choice with regards to midfield additions.
INEOS put Anderson at the top of their pile, but Carrick actually favoured Tonali.
The manager’s desires won’t matter, however, with transfer guru Romano now revealing Man Utd aren’t prepared to pay up for the Italian either.
Initially confirming more midfield signings after Ederson are coming, he said on his YouTube channel: “Man Utd are not stopping there. They want at least one more midfielder and work is already taking place behind the scenes.
“After completing the Ederson deal, the club will continue to push for further additions in that area.”
But as mentioned, a deal for Tonali is now OFF, with Man Utd unimpressed by the high cost of sealing a deal.
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Man Utd pull plug on Sandro Tonali transfer
A prior report from The Chronicle claimed Newcastle want £100m for Tonali, and the player will also command sky high wages too.
“Manchester United are not going for Sandro Tonali at this stage,” declared Romano. “The intention of Manchester United is not to proceed.
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“Manchester United has been interested in Tonali for some time, and he’s been on Manchester United’s shortlist, but now Manchester United believe that the player is too expensive.”
With Anderson and seemingly now Tonali off the table too, it’s full steam ahead of West Ham’s £85m-rated Mateus Fernandes.
TEAMtalk understands the Red Devils are preparing their first official bid for the Portuguese. Fernandes is believed to favour a move to Old Trafford above all other suitors including PSG and Real Madrid.