Manchester United are stepping up plans to strengthen midfield this summer, with Elliot Anderson emerging as their primary target and Mateus Fernandes being assessed as an alternative option. Club executives are confident they can challenge Manchester City for Anderson, although City are currently regarded as favourites to sign the 23-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder.
Forest are understood to value Anderson at around £100 million and have already rejected an initial £80 million offer. United believe the former Newcastle United player can be persuaded to choose Old Trafford, especially as they are prepared to match his wage expectations if necessary. Anderson is already earning about £100,000 a week at Forest, and any move to either Manchester club would likely bring a significant pay rise. He is expected to start for England in their opening World Cup match against Croatia on 17 June.
United have also agreed a deal worth €40.5 million, or about £35 million, with Atalanta for Brazilian midfielder Éderson. He is expected to earn roughly £70,000 a week at Old Trafford. While Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to focus on reducing costs across the club, United are still willing to stretch for key targets if they believe the player is worth the investment.
Fernandes, 21, is another name under consideration. West Ham are believed to want about £80 million for the Portuguese midfielder, though that figure is seen internally as unrealistic. Fernandes is not in Portugal’s World Cup squad and his wages have changed significantly since West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League last month, when his salary was reportedly cut by half. That would make him a more manageable financial option under United’s current wage structure.
Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, is said to be monitoring Fernandes closely. He is familiar with the player from his time at Southampton, where Fernandes signed in August 2024. Fernandes’s move to West Ham a year later was overseen by Kyle Macaulay, who has since joined United as head of senior scouting after leaving West Ham when Graham Potter was dismissed as manager in October.
United’s search for midfield reinforcements does not end there. The club are also interested in Carlos Baleba, the 22-year-old Cameroon international at Brighton. However, Brighton are confident Baleba will stay on the south coast, making him a less likely signing than Anderson or Fernandes.
The summer window is shaping up as a major test of United’s recruitment strategy, with the club balancing financial restraint against the need to rebuild a midfield capable of competing at the highest level. Anderson remains the most ambitious target, but Fernandes and Éderson provide United with additional routes to add quality and depth.
