Manchester United are continuing their search for a third midfield signing after completing deals for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Manchester United's current midfield situation is rather interesting...
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Manchester United's priority at the start of the transfer window was seemingly to replace Casemiro, who left Old Trafford on a free after his contract expired at the end of the season.
Director of Football Jason Wilcox's job has been made more difficult due to Manuel Ugarte's ACL injury at the World Cup, which is expected to see him miss the entirety of next season. The Uruguay international looked destined to leave United before his knee issue.
Andrey Santos moved to United as the first signing of the summer for £48 million, plus an additional £2 million in add-ons. Chelsea fans seemed disappointed to lose their promising Brazilian – which is always a good sign for a new player.
After Karl Darlow, Youri Tielemans became the third signing of the summer for £35 million from Aston Villa. His release clause allowed United to sign an experienced midfielder on a cut-price deal.
However, United still needs a third midfielder if they are hoping to compete across all fronts next term.
United have been through a wealth of different midfield targets this summer, such as: Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba, Bruno Guimaraes, Manu Kone, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Adam Wharton. But it seems they may be deciding to push for Tyler Adams.
TalkSport have reported that United are "considering" making a bid for the United States international, as Michael Carrick's side look to sign one more central midfielder.
Previous reports had suggested that Bournemouth would be willing to accept as little as £35 million for Adams, although that has now been dismissed by senior club sources, according to TalkSport.
Adams is still seen as a cheaper option for United, with other potential targets proving to be expensive.
Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga remain on United's shortlist, as do AS Roma's Manu Kone and Fulham's Sander Berge.
While it is a good thing that United have more than one option – as that could force them to pay a high fee – at some point, they must pull the trigger and go for their next target.
If Michael Carrick wants to use his third (and potentially most high-profile) new signing in pre-season, then United need to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
The Tielemans deal may have been completed fast, but he had a release clause. Not every other transfer will be as simple.
United need to go for their man now or they will be beat to the transfer.