£80m star now confident he’ll be signing for Man Utd

Manchester United are already making moves to improve Michael Carrick’s squad ahead of his first full season in charge of the club next term.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the Red Devils have agreed a deal worth around £39m to sign Brazilian central midfielder Ederson from Serie A side Atalanta to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

The 26-year-old star is set to put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Old Trafford and looks set to become the first major arrival of what could be a busy summer transfer window for the club.

Carrick wants more than just Ederson added to his midfield ranks, though, as United are also reportedly interested in a deal to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.

It was reported at the end of last month that the Red Devils are ready to ramp up their efforts to bring the Italy international over to Manchester in the off-season.

£80m star confident that he will complete Manchester United transfer

Premier League champions Arsenal, however, are in talks over a deal to sign Tonali and that could make it difficult for United to get a deal done for the Italian star.

The Red Devils should not be too concerned about losing the race to sign Tonali, though, because they are reportedly pursuing another Premier League star who is even better than the Magpies man.

According to reports, Manchester United are in ongoing talks over a deal to sign West Ham United central midfielder Mateus Fernandes in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the player’s representatives are confident that the transfer will go through for him to ditch the relegated side to come and play Champions League football at Old Trafford.

Connolly adds that the Portugal international is “really admired” by many behind the scenes at United, hence why they are now in talks to bring him to the club.

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard reports that West Ham, despite being relegated from the Premier League this season, are set to demand a fee of £80m for the former Southampton talent.

Why Man Utd should sign Mateus Fernandes over Sandro Tonali

Tonali has played over 200 matches in the Serie A and Premier League for AC Milan and Newcastle combined, won the Serie A, and played 32 times in the Champions League, which means that he would arrive at Old Trafford as an experienced top level performer.

Meanwhile, Fernandes has been relegated in each of the past two Premier League seasons with Southampton and West Ham and has one career appearance in the Premier League.

If you were an employer reviewing their respective CVs, you would pick Tonali every time. If you look a little deeper, though, Fernandes looks like the better option for United this summer.

Despite playing for a team that got relegated from the top-flight, the Portuguese star produced more goals and more assists than the Italy international, suggesting that he could have a greater impact at the top end of the pitch for United.

The Red Devils heavily relied upon Bruno Fernandes, who racked up nine goals and 21 assists in the Premier League, to contribute to the attack from midfield, but the signing of his international teammate could provide him with some support in the middle of the park.

Where the £80m star really excels, though, is his work out of possession to win the ball back for his side. He averaged almost three times as many tackles per game as Tonali, as he consistently got stuck in to cut out opposition attacks.

The West Ham star could be far more effective at winning the ball back for United than Tonali would be, therefore, as well as offering more than the Newcastle ace with his work at the top end of the pitch, making him a far more complete player overall.

At the age of 21, Fernandes is also five years younger than the Italian and would hold more long-term value to the Red Devils, both in terms of his future value and how long he could be a star at Old Trafford for if he is a success on the pitch.

Therefore, United supporters should be pleased with this latest update on his representatives being confident that a deal will be done, because he would be an even better signing than Tonali.