Manchester United are cracking on with their transfer plans ahead of their pre-season tour. The new Premier League season is fast approaching with the end of the World Cup near. Head coach Michael Carrick is looking to strengthen his squad after securing Champions League qualification, and has already secured two deals for players poised to make permanent switches in the coming weeks – back-up goalkeeper Karl Darlow and £50million Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.
Yet a proposed deal for another Brazilian midfielder, Ederson, is at risk of collapse. The Atalanta man was expected to join United for £35m after Brazil’s World Cup exit but there are some reports that a transfer is about to fall through. And now the Red Devils are said to have taken action in case they don’t complete the deal. Express Sport rounds up the very latest transfer gossip coming out of Old Trafford…
Michael Carrick’s midfield strategy
With Ederson’s move to United now far from certain, and Andrey Santos unlikely to single-handedly plug the gap in Carrick’s midfield, the manager finds himself facing a significant problem at the heart of his side.
According to The Sun, he may turn to Mason Mount – who returned for pre-season training last week – and look to utilise him in a considerably more defensive role than he has previously been used to.
Mount joined United from Chelsea in 2023 for an initial £55m but has struggled to make his mark as an attacking playmaker. Carrick is now reportedly weighing up deploying him in a more withdrawn role.
According to the report, Mount’s promising performances towards the tail end of last season mean he remains firmly within first-team considerations, with Carrick said to value both his work rate and versatility in midfield.
Contact made with £38m star
Should the Ederson deal fall through, United could turn their attention to Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes. The 25-year-old Brazilian has also been linked with a move to Liverpool.
Gomes caught the eye for a Wolves side that slipped into the Championship last season and had been on the verge of joining Atletico Madrid for £38m. However, that transfer collapsed, and Brazilian outlet O Globo reports that United have now made contact regarding a potential switch.
The report suggests that Gomes’ move was all but finalised, yet his agent Jorge Mendes shifted his focus towards brokering Bernardo Silva’s transfer to Real Madrid.
This reportedly infuriated Atletico, who felt their fierce rivals had been given preferential treatment, ultimately leading them to pull out of the deal.
Gomes was named Wolves’ Player of the Season by supporters and his team-mates last campaign, despite his side’s relegation from the Premier League.