United “a name to watch” in the race for 25-yo PL midfield pitbull with bargain transfer on the cards – report

Come next season, Manchester United hope to have assembled one of the finest midfields in Europe, with a midfield overhaul expected in the summer. Casemiro is leaving as a free agent, and Manuel Ugarte could follow him out the door, with Juventus and Aston Villa both keen on his services. Their departures, combined with the underlying midfield need that went unaddressed last summer after United failed to land top target Carlos Baleba, mean it could take as many as two or three signings to fix the problem. Strategic midfield rebuild Either Elliot Anderson or Sandro Tonali, or even both, could be the marquee signing INEOS make this window. Yet pulling off those deals will not come cheap. So, for a truly successful midfield overhaul, United will also need to identify bargains they can strike alongside the headline moves. One such bargain could be Joao Gomes. The Wolverhampton Wanderers star has repeatedly been linked with a move to Old Trafford. With Wolves widely expected to drop down to the Championship, he has been packaged as a readymade transfer opportunity. Despite the Wanderers’ struggles, Gomes has continued to stand out, impressing with his elite ball-winning, aggressive pressing and intelligent defensive positioning. Though Tonali or Anderson may sit ahead of him in the pecking order as options to replace Casemiro, Gomes too could prove a pretty great replacement. Gomes transfer boost As United weigh their options on the Samba star, Mark Brus on The Daily Briefing has revealed that a source told him: “[Gomes is] someone they’ll consider depending on how other midfield targets work out.” The source further admitted: “What’s attractive in this case is that there’s an informal understanding that Wolves getting relegated means his asking price drops from €60m to more like €40-45m. “United will be a name to watch, but Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Napoli have all asked about him as well.” Brus himself added: “There could be a bargain deal to be done for the 25-year-old, who will likely push hard to leave Molineux.” Too good to ignore At as little as €40 million (£35m), Gomes is a deal United should be all over. Competing on multiple fronts, even if United land their top targets, they will still need genuine squad depth and quality options like Gomes provide exactly that. A midfield pitbull tried and tested in the Premier League, the Wolves star could bring the kind of bite this United engine room so desperately yearns for. Featured image Naomi Baker via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Daniel Onguko Dan is a writer with The Peoples Person, an avid Manchester United fan whose passion for the Red Devils evolved into writing about them. He was introduced to United back in 2008, and his love for the club has continued to grow ever since. Like every other United fan, he believes the club will soon return to its rightful place and strives to reflect that belief in his writing. While he has also written about other Premier League sides, including Arsenal for Just Arsenal and The Arsenal Analysis Blogspot, Dan lives and breathes Manchester United.