Manchester United have not built this midfield around one marquee move. Andrey Santos is in for an initial £48m, Youri Tielemans is set to cost £35m via his release clause, and the club have already moved for lower-ticket options after being priced out of Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and others. The picture is still not quite fixed, with reports split on whether the Santos and Tielemans deals are already done or still being processed.
Santos and Tielemans set the price range
Santos looks like the higher-upside addition. His most recent Premier League outing carried an 8 rating, and he scored once in that same appearance, which is the kind of immediate output United will like from a younger midfield signing. Santos himself said joining United is "an incredible feeling" and called Michael Carrick "the perfect coach" to help him take the next step.
Tielemans is the steadier piece. A 7.44 average across 5 World Cup appearances is not a headline-grabber on its own, but it does fit the idea of a proven midfielder arriving in a deal that sits well below the levels United have missed out on elsewhere. That is the market United seem to be working in now, a narrower band where value has to do some of the heavy lifting.
Alex Scott remains the possible third move
Alex Scott is the one who stretches the plan. He is valued at around £80m, with Bournemouth holding out for around £85m, so he does not sit in the same bracket as Santos or Tielemans. There are also questions around fit and durability. Scott's first two seasons on the south coast were disrupted by knee injuries, even if he has looked sharp again lately, with an 8.5 rating in one recent Premier League match and a 93-minute outing in another.
The interest makes sense on football grounds. David Ornstein said United want a player to "cover ground" in midfield, to complement the qualities of their current options including the two new signings. Scott fits that description better than most of the names United have been linked with, which is why he still belongs in the conversation. The price is the obstacle, and Bournemouth's stance has kept that door only half open.
For now, the rebuild points to a club trying to be selective rather than loud. United have already committed serious money to Santos and a separate fee structure for Tielemans, but the Scott chase would take the summer into a different range again. If it happens, it will be because United decide that the extra mobility is worth the extra spend, not because they are chasing names for their own sake.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →