Manchester United‘s focus is fixed on securing a place in next season’s Champions League, but even after drawing with Bournemouth on Friday evening, the board must be growing in confidence that they will succeed in returning to Europe’s elite competition.
It’s where Old Trafford belongs, and it goes without saying that the Champions League theatre proves a bigger draw when landing new first-team additions, with immense monetary benefits too.
There are a number of issues to resolve, but Man United’s need for a new centre-midfielder has been accentuated by Casemiro’s impending departure at the end of his contract.
While there has been chatter pertaining to the possibility of the Brazilian veteran signing a new deal, it’s not going to happen, and his poor performance against Bournemouth on the south coast perhaps shows that United do need to sign an elite deep-lying midfielder this summer.
Man Utd in the race to sign Premier League midfielder
The resurgence of young Kobbie Mainoo has been one of the defining factors behind the wider Carrick revival, but he alone cannot shore up this Manchester United midfield.
INEOS are aiming for the stars, and they’ve set their sights on Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes, with none other than Fabrizio Romano confirming that talks have been held in recent weeks for the Brazilian, whose future at St. James’ Park has been jeopardised by the Magpies’ enduring poor form.
However, as Newcastle continue to push for Guimaraes to sign a new contract, the Old Trafford side would be wise to earmark an alternative or two, and it’s interesting to note the fallback chosen by the board.
Indeed, according to Romano, it’s Guimaraes’ Newcastle teammate, Sandro Tonali, who is in United director Jason Wilcox’s sights as plans are drawn to land a Casemiro successor in the centre of the park, with the transfer reporter confirming that they are “in the race”.
Like Guimaraes, Tonali is valued as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, with Arsenal seeing an approach knocked back in January.
The Tyneside outfit would be holding out for a whopping £100m fee, but as uncertainty about his future starts to mount, the Red Devils might feel that they can swoop in for a lesser fee.
Why Man United should sign Tonali
Tonali has gone from strength to strength over the past couple of years at Newcastle, with a skillset and tenacious mentality that would befit a starring role at Manchester United.
The Italy international has been described as a “world-class” midfielder by journalist Andrew Musgrove, and in this, Tonali could become a superstar under Carrick’s wing (should the interim manager stay beyond the summer).
In fact, he could actually become the club’s new Paul Pogba, arriving in a record-breaking deal and with a weight of expectation too.
Pogba, of course, has had something of a chequered career, but there’s no question that he is among the most talented midfielders of his generation, enjoying several statement seasons in a red shirt.
Tonali is not Pogba, but he is an elite player who would arrive as the outfit’s most expensive midfielder of all time, already established as a superstar in the Premier League and out on the continental stage.
The Italian’s dynamic, effortless passing and tireless energy has even led Paul Scholes to describe him as being “better than Declan Rice”, suggesting that he is indeed in a Pogba-esque bracket.
Man United might hope to land Tonali for a cut-price fee this summer, but the reality is that they would probably have to pay a pretty penny to secure his signature.
This is, after all, one of the best midfielders in the business, someone whose intelligence and decision-making in the middle of the park help to set the tempo and shape the flow of a match.
He is not a player who is particularly defined by statistics, but Tonali would make such a difference in the centre of the Theatre of Dreams pitch.
If there is a chance to sign him this summer, it must be taken, even if that bid eclipses the figure spent on Pogba way back when.
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