Rio Ferdinand thinks Manchester United have better irons in the fire as Tottenham close in on Mateus Fernandes. Spurs are said to be spending £80million to sign Fernandes from Championship club West Ham this summer, appearing to win a race with United.
Roberto De Zerbi has wanted a holding or hybrid midfielder all summer, and Fernandes fits into the latter, able to cover ground going forward and back, while he is rooted in a solid defensive mindset.
The Portuguese midfielder is going for big money, helped by the inflated midfield market currently, but he was one of the best young players in the Premier League last season, and at 21 years of age, there is big potential.
Ferdinand thiks Man Utd are holding back
Spurs look to have wrestled Fernandes from signing for United, but Ferdinand believes the Red Devils were not willing to go to £80million due to having another player in mind.
"I’ve woke up to the news that Fernandes from West Ham could be going to Spurs, 80, 80 million, huge money, it’s thrown me,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.
"I think Manchester United and Arsenal have made it very clear, they have a stance in this window, they’re not going to overpay for people who they don’t feel they should.
You know what, I’m going to put my neck on the line, I think Man United are holding up their money, they’re holding the money back for one man and that’s Tchouameni. If he becomes available in this market, Man United are not going to miss, they can’t afford to miss that one. They may let another couple slip through the bag if the price isn’t right."
The Tchouameni equation assessed
It looked as though United were willing to go to £75million for Fernandes but not £80million. Whether that was because of Tchouameni is another question, but it seems unlikely given the Frenchman's availability - or lack thereof - this summer.
It's true that Real Madrid want to improve their midfield with a marquee signing, and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez has been heavily linked. But as various outlets close to the Bernabeu club have reported, a new arrival will likely see Eduardo Camavinga made available.
Aurelien Tchouameni is effectively seen as untouchable unless silly money is presented to Los Blancos, in which case they will consider their options. Tchouameni is highly valued by Real Madrid and José Mourinho, who will love the Frenchman's versatility, given he is able to play in midfield and at full-back.
United's hopes of landing Tchouameni are slim to none, and while they may have other targets they prefer, and those targets may even be better than Fernandes in the minds of some, it's unlikely they refused to match Tottenham's offer because of a pie-in-the-sky idea that Tchouameni might become available.
As things stand, the midfielder is off the cards, and United are a smart enough club to have asked Los Blancos to find that out before making any recruitment decisions this summer.
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