Manchester United’s stars celebrate their victory over Brighton. (Image: Getty)
Manchester United have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with their new midfielder on a five-year contract. The Premier League season ended just hours ago, with Michael Carrick’s side ending the season on a high with a 3-0 away win at Brighton, but INEOS are already in business.
With Casemiro officially leaving the club and Manuel Ugarte potentially joining him at Old Trafford, there is huge pressure to strengthen the midfield. The only other senior options in central midfield are Koby Mainu and Mason Mount, with player of the year Bruno Fernandes almost certain to play a further forward role under Carrick.
The Red Devils are set to make a ton of reinforcements in this area and are close to finalizing one deal. TalkSPORT reports that United have reached a verbal agreement with Atalanta star Ederson on a five-year contract, with negotiations between the two clubs progressing over a £43m transfer.
However, they plan to add at least one more midfielder to their squad this summer, with Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson a top target.
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Anderson is away for a summer at the World Cup and could delay a decision on his future until after the tournament, while Manchester City pose a serious threat for a £100m move.
United are also interested in West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes and Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchoameny, but Newcastle would have to lower their offer for Sandro Tonali in order for him to move to United.
Ederson has agreed a contract with Manchester United. (Image: Getty)
Other options include Carlos Baleva and Alex Scott, but Bournemouth are in a strong position to retain their key man after securing Europa League football next season. Meanwhile, Valeva has had a mixed season at Brighton and did not start in Sunday’s final game of the season.
João Gomez from Wolves was previously under consideration, but a move to Atletico Madrid is now expected to be completed.
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Manager Carrick has already called on INEOS to support Mainu in the transfer market. After signing the deal to stay at United, the head coach said: “So there’s a balance, because you don’t have to bring in players just to play with one player at any given time. As a football club, we’re balanced.”
“I think the important thing is adapting to the team, the balance of the team, being able to cope with the way we play here, the way we play in different competitions with so many games.
“So, not necessarily, but what I’m talking about here in general is not bringing in any player just to play with one player, but there’s certainly a dynamic and there’s a balance that needs to be there.
“And the beauty of Coby is that he can do so many things well, and I think he’s proven that and evolved a lot in the four or five months that I’ve been watching him progress.
“That’s who he is. I’m not going to take credit for it. He’s done it himself. But I think he’s shown that he can do so many things. I mean, once he’s able to adapt, it makes it a little bit easier to bring in guys to play with guys like Coby. I think he’ll adapt over time and already play a slightly different role than we have.”
