REPORT: Carrick ‘Specifically Wants’ £87M Rated Midfielder At Man Utd As Well As Ederson

BACK David Tully May 23rd 2026 This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Man Utd manager Michael Carrick is keen for the Red Devils to sign Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, according to reports in Italy. Writing on his personal website, journalist Gianluca Di Marzio said that Carrick “specifically wants” the 26-year-old at Old Trafford. Tonali is believed to have a “gentleman’s agreement” with the Magpies that he can leave St James’ Park after failing to qualify for the Champions League. However, the Italian international will not be available on the cheap, with his asking price having been set at around €100m (£87m). What does it mean for Man Utd’s pursuit of Ederson? It does appear that Carrick’s side are closing in on signing the Atalanta player. The Brazilian was not in the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw against Fiorentina on Friday night. Asked about his absence after the game, head coach Raffaele Palladino said: “Ederson is out because a major club is following him. It was a decision we agreed with the boy because there is something there at the transfer market level.” Despite it looking likely that the midfielder will make the switch to Manchester, though, Di Marzio says the interest in Tonali is “independent of Ederson.” Buy a brand new 2026/27 Man Utd home shirt from Fanatics here The midfield transfer kitty could soon be spent in full It has been claimed that United have put aside around £150m to strengthen the club’s options in the middle of the park. If Ederson does end up costing £46m (as some reports suggest), then the remaining funds could go towards recruiting Tonali. Many would question whether Director of Football Jason Wilcox is overspending on both players, but it is believed he is keen on getting deals done early in the summer, preferably before the World Cup. With Tonali not being at the tournament after Italy failed to qualify, the Red Devils can afford to take longer negotiating that transfer. Want more news on Man Utd? Add Man U News as a preferred source on Google David Tully David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.