Man United Might Walk Away From the £80m Asking Price. Here Are Their Backup Plans.

Manchester United has already gotten one midfielder through the door this summer, landing Ederson Silva from Atalanta for around £38m. But they’re not done yet. The plan was always to bring in at least one more, and for a while it looked like West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes was that guy.

Fernandes had a breakout season last year. He’s the kind of prospect every big club wants, and Tottenham has been sniffing around too. Reports this morning even said Fernandes prefers United over Spurs. But here’s the thing: West Ham wants about £80m for him. And United is starting to wonder if that’s worth it.

According to The i Paper, the club has now turned its attention to Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. The 22-year-old is talented, versatile, and would likely cost less than £80m. That’s the whole point. United’s brass — INEOS — is trying to avoid getting dragged into another inflated bidding war. They learned that lesson the hard way.

There’s a catch though. Bournemouth doesn’t want to sell Scott either. At least not right now. So United would still need to come in with an offer that makes the Cherries think twice. But sources believe a deal under that £80m figure is doable. That’s a big difference compared to negotiating with West Ham, who seem pretty locked in on their price.

It’s not just midfield they’re looking at

United could use help in a bunch of spots this summer. A winger, a striker, a center-back, a left-back, maybe even a goalkeeper. The club is reportedly trying to move some players first — Marcus Rashford, Radek Vitek, and Manuel Ugarte are all said to be available. Those sales would free up cash and roster space.

With Scott in mind, the report also names five other targets. At left-back, Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde is an option. In goal, they’re looking at Leeds’ Karl Darlow and Wolves’ Sam Johnstone as backups to Senne Lammens. Further up the field, Crysencio Summerville and Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye are two wingers they’re keeping an eye on — but only at the right price.

So the Fernandes sweepstakes aren’t dead yet. United could still come back to the table if they move some pieces. But right now, the smart money is on them looking elsewhere. Scott makes sense. He’s younger, probably cheaper, and fits the profile of what this rebuild is supposed to be about.