Manchester United’s summer transfer window has been painfully quiet so far. No new faces through the door. And now with Manuel Ugarte out with an ACL injury suffered at the World Cup, the urgency to find midfield help has gone from a simmer to a full boil.
The Uruguayan’s injury was a gut punch. Kobbie Mainoo is basically the only natural midfielder left in the squad who’s healthy and ready for Premier League minutes. That’s not ideal for a club that wants to compete at the top of the table.
According to Football Insider, United have been doing their homework on Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. And we’re not talking casual scouting. The report says they’ve run background checks and are now accelerating their pursuit of the 22-year-old Englishman.
Scott’s Stock Is Rising Fast
Scott was one of the brighter spots for Bournemouth last season. Four goals and one assist in 39 appearances across all competitions doesn’t jump off the page as elite numbers, but anyone who watched him regularly knows his game goes way beyond the stat sheet. He’s comfortable on the ball, reads the game well, and doesn’t get bullied in the middle of the park. That’s exactly the kind of player United need right now.
He narrowly missed out on Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup. That alone tells you what people in the game think of his trajectory.
Pete O’Rourke, speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, said United have been big admirers for a while. They already missed out on Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes this summer, which stings. But Scott feels like a more natural fit for what INEOS wants — younger, hungry, and with Premier League experience.
The Problem: Bournemouth Doesn’t Want to Sell
Here’s the thing. Scott is under contract until 2028. Bournemouth has zero incentive to let him go cheap. And there’s already competition. Reports suggest Andoni Iraola would love to bring his former player to Liverpool. That’s not a rumor United can afford to ignore.
United fans have heard this song before. A player they want, another club doesn’t want to sell, and the price tag climbs. But this feels different. The midfield situation is so thin that INEOS might have no choice but to pay whatever it takes. Ederson from Atalanta is reportedly already secured, but one midfielder isn’t going to fix this.
If United walks away from Scott the way they walked away from Anderson over the asking price, that’s going to sting even more come September.
Scott is the kind of signing that makes sense now and for the next five years. But only if United actually gets it done.
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