Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Manchester United have reportedly made a key decision over the final midfield signing.
Having brought in Andrey Santos from Chelsea in a £50million deal and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35million, United are now in the market for a third central midfielder, following the injury to Manuel Ugarte at the World Cup and the departure of Casemiro to Inter Miami after his contract at Old Trafford expired.
Midfield was the main area of concern for now permanent head coach Michael Carrick and two additions were always guaranteed, with a third a potential too.
United decided against pursuing a number of players because of finances
via Reuters
Having missed out on the likes of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes - who made the move to Tottenham for £100million and £85million respectively - and Elliot Anderson - who joined rivals Manchester City for £116million, things were looking bleak early in the transfer window.
United had balked at the prices for all three, refusing to get drawn into a bidding war for any player.
The deals for Santos and Tielemans were done quickly, alleviating any supporters' concerns somewhat, but seeing rivals spend big money often leads to inevitable 'why are we not making big moves' questions.
Santos and Tielemans are astute signings, but they may not be the big-big-money deals supporters would have been hoping for at the end of last season.
Carrick did an incredible job picking up the pieces from the failed Ruben Amorim reign, guiding the Red Devils to third place in the Premier League table and back into the UEFA Champions League as a result.
The impressive form led to suggestions United could challenge once more at the top of the table, perhaps for the title in 2026/27. And if they are to do that they should go all out for one more midfielder this summer.
Reports have claimed that United have already made their preferred choice for that third midfield spot. Having been linked with the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Tyler Adams, Manu Kone, Carlos Baleba and Alex Scott, it appears that two standout to United chiefs - Kone and Baleba.
Club executives believe that both could be available for purchase at a reasonable price, with Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams also a potentially attainable target.
The I Paper report that a deal for Tchouameni looks to be beyond United's reach at this stage, although that could potentially change towards the end of the transfer window.
And it is the Frenchman whom United really ought to go all out for. Carlo Ancelotti once said of the France star: "Tchouameni is a great midfielder, very focused on his work. He is an extraordinary signing."
Tchouameni has it all. He can play in the No.6 or the No.8 role and has the ability to be box-to-box, a bit like Casemiro was for the Red Devils. He has age on his side in comparison to the departed Brazilian though and would represent a marquee signing for Carrick in the early part of his tenure.
Tchouameni possesses the quality to play in differenr roles
Sarah Meyssonnier Via Reuters
While at Monaco, before his move to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2022, a Total Football Analysis scouting report said: "The 22-year-old is very good in all phases of play, easily contributing to the attack, defence, transitions, and build-up play, as the data shows.
"Given his excellent reading of the game, technical quality and athleticism, he can break lines and create through different means from deep positions on the pitch.
"Similarly to someone like Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, Tchouameni is sometimes difficult to stop when he goes into a full run due to his physique and power."
The now 26-year-old was integral to France's run to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, having previously done the same on the run to the final in 2022.
Tchouameni may appear out of reach for United, but that should not be the case for a club of their stature. They should be able to go out and roughhouse any other club - even Real Madrid - into signing their players should they want them.
With Santos and Tielemans already through the door, the signing is not urgent and United can afford, on this occasion to play the waiting game. However, turning down an approach because of the inflated transfer window is not an option. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay the money and Tchouameni is definitely a player worth doing that for.
Michael Carrick Manchester United manager (2026)
Michael Carrick Manchester United manager (2026)