Manchester United could face a major battle to land one of their top midfield targets next summer.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are currently leading the race to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.
The Blues made multiple attempts to prise Scott away from Bournemouth during the summer, but the Cherries remained adamant that their prized midfielder was not for sale.
United have also been heavily interested in Scott, but the Red Devils never managed to put themselves in a strong enough position to take control of the negotiations.
Conservative INEOS must change transfer strategy
United have spent the last decade making costly mistakes in the transfer market, repeatedly paying over the odds for their preferred targets.
INEOS have rightly tried to put an end to that approach and bring greater discipline to the club’s spending.
However, they may have taken that caution too far this summer by refusing to make major moves for some of their biggest targets.
Scott would be an excellent addition to United’s midfield and could eventually take Manuel Ugarte’s place in the squad.
It would not be a major surprise if Bournemouth demand close to £100 million before even considering the sale of their highly-rated young midfielder.
The 23-year-old has already taken another major step in his career by making his England debut and is expected to play a key role for the Cherries this season.
INEOS are also planning a major defensive overhaul in the summer of 2027.
United may need to recruit more than three defenders across the centre-back and full-back positions.
That could make the club’s transfer budget even tighter.
Ideally, INEOS must aim to complete the defensive rebuild while also signing a quality midfielder.
However, based on the latest transfer window, that is unlikely to happen.
Stats from Fotmob.com