Why Man Utd are pushing “every day” to sign their answer to Guimaraes

Manchester United came out of the race for Elliot Anderson sharp, and good for them, and Nottingham Forest’s financial needs are ridiculous.

But Manchester City still meet the asking price, with the England international heading to the Etihad Stadium for at least a club-record fee of £116m. Whether Citizens will break the British money transfer record is currently disputed.

United need to settle at the top of the Premier League, however, and move 80 points clear in order to establish themselves as title contenders.

There are plenty of talented midfielders still around, after all, and the Red Devils are still keen to replace Casemiro, who signed from Inter Miami at the end of his contract, with someone who can help Michael Carrick challenge for silverware.

Someone like Bruno Guimaraes? Sadly, it looks like the Newcastle captain is headed to Arsenal, if he is.

Man United are pushing every day to sign a new midfielder

With Casemiro gone and Manuel Ugarte likely to be out for a year after suffering a knee injury against Uruguay at the World Cup, Man United’s need for midfielders has increased.

Arsenal are hoping to sign Guimaraes, and while the Red Devils have held fresh talks for the 28-year-old over the past few days, they appear to be turning their attention elsewhere.

Guimaraes is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but he turns 30 before the end of 2027, and United need to sign a midfielder who can charge the job for many years to come.

According to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, Man United will sign Mateus Fernandes this summer, if INEOS “can reach an agreement with West Ham”. Of course, the same goes for Tottenham Hotspur, so there’s no time to waste in getting this one over the line.

As Romano said, “the player is open to both moves”, and while United are a club with Champions League football to offer, it is clear that INEOS need to make quick progress in negotiations, with Spurs ready to complete the marquee signing.

United are “attacking day by day” as they push for a new star defender, and while he may not be as polished as the likes of Guimaraes, Fernandes is still young, and could be worth the investment.

On that note, West Ham are only willing to “start at £85m”, so there’s a lot to sort out here.

Why Fernandes could be the Guimaraes of Man Utd

Fernandes is still young, and if you didn’t know better, you’d question whether Manchester United should pay £85m for a youngster who has just suffered their second Premier League relegation in as many years.

But the Portuguese talent has been a shining light for both Southampton and West Ham, with retired Saints star Jo Tessem even commenting that the 21-year-old is developing into “the Premier League’s ultimate midfielder”.

He’s not a finished product, but Fernandes’ all-round impact in the engine room sees him develop into a force to be reckoned with, someone expected by top clubs to thrive in the best stages.

Fernandes’ endless fight, overcoming any number of challenges and taking away opponents’ world, is combined with first-rate technical skills. He can pump the ball forward into the danger zone, or he can slide into the third zone himself. All this suggests that he may end up watching Guimaraes as a Premier League star.

Guimaraes is much older, so it is expected that he hits higher notes than his Portuguese counterpart, but it is interesting to note that Fernandes actually did some amazing things for a vulnerable West Ham team last year, so much so that he could not say that he was too successful for the Selecao superstar.

Of course, Guimaraes is a much more refined attack threat, but that will come. Otherwise, it is outside of Fernandes’ jurisdiction anyway.

That’s exactly the kind of signing United need to make this summer, deviating from a strategy that hasn’t worked in the past decade, and instead signing a young but established Premier League “star”, as the prospect is described by football writer Joost van der Leij.

Let’s make it happen, find a Guimaraes-esque star who can offer the biggest amount of money.