Manchester United might be priced out for Mateus Fernandes, but could end up recruiting Alex Scott and Lewis Hall for more affordable figures.
The Red Devils began their summer transfer campaign early by snatching the services of Ederson, who will complete a £39 million move from Atalanta.
However, the club still has another two midfield slots to fill, especially if Manuel Ugarte were to follow Casemiro out the door.
Man Utd could turn to Alex Scott if they give up on Mateus Fernandes
Over the past few weeks, Mateus Fernanded climbed his way to the top of Man Utd’s shortlist. Elliot Anderson might be the ultimate dream signing, but Jason Wilcox and Co. realise that signing the England international is a daunting task due to Manchester City’s interest and Nottingham Forest’s astronomic asking price of £120 million.
However, Fernandes wouldn’t come cheap either, as West Ham have set their price at £80 million.
According to The Athletic, Man Utd have no desire to meet this hefty figure, and will be hoping to drive the price down. On the other hand, the Hammers are counting on a bidding war involving Paris Saint-Germain and others.
Nevertheless, the source offers an alternative route for Man Utd, one that would see the club end their pursuit of the 21-year-old Portuguese, and instead go for two young and promising Englishmen.
Alex Scott would be a direct alternative to Fernandes, given that both players essentially operate as box-to-box midfielders. The metrics show almost similar playing styles, even though the West Ham man outperformed his counterpart this season.
| Percentiles | Duel% | Poss won | Prog carries | Fwd passes | Fwd pass% | Key passes | Prog passes | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alex Scott
|
66.9 | 78.2 | 71.0 | 34.5 | 18.8 | 35.2 | 29.2 | 3143 |
|
Mateus Fernandes
|
82.4 | 83.5 | 58.3 | 60.4 | 74.5 | 55.5 | 64.6 | 3302 |
(Stats by DataMB)
The 22-year-old is coming off an ‘excellent campaign at Bournemouth, helping the club finish sixth in the table and qualify for the Europa League.
The Cherries are hoping to extend the player’s contract (currently expiring in June 2028) and add a £75 million release clause. Nevertheless, the report believes £60 million should be sufficient to convince the club to part ways with the Guernsey native.
Man Utd need £50 million to buy Lewis Hall from Newcastle
While Scott could cost Man Utd £60 million, The Athletic believes £50 million could be enough to convince Newcastle to part ways with Lewis Hall, who emerged as Man Utd’s primary target for the left-back role.
The Magpies would like to keep the youngster at St. James’ Park, but previous reports claimed Hall was ‘unhappy’ with his current status at the club and the lack of playing time.
The 21-year-old Englishman is considered the ideal profile to support Luke Shaw before eventually taking the torch from the latter.
Shaw is considered Man Utd’s last remaining first-team left-back following the departure of Tyrell Malacia, as Patrick Dorgu has been exclusively deployed as a winger since Michael Carrick’s appointment.
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