United hold direct talks with agent of world-class attacker, Ineos have money to seal record-breaking deal – report

Manchester United find themselves in a heated battle with Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Mateus Fernandes. INEOS are keen to overhaul the side’s midfield for Michael Carrick, and it is widely believed that the major chunk of United’s transfer budget this summer will be allocated to bringing in midfielders. However, a report in Spain suggests the Red Devils have now entered the race to sign a high-profile striker ahead of Spurs’ North London rivals, Arsenal. Manchester United in contact to sign Julian Alvarez Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has become the subject of intense interest across Europe after publicly expressing his desire to leave the La Liga side this summer. It is no secret that his preferred destination is Barcelona, but Atletico have so far aggressively rejected approaches from their Spanish rivals. It has been previously reported that Los Rojiblancos would prefer a sale to Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain. However, now United have reportedly joined Arsenal, PSG, and Barcelona in the race to sign the Argentina international. According to AS journalist Marcos Durán (via Sport Witness), United have expressed their interest in signing the elite number nine by making direct contact with his agent. Durán underlines that United “have money” to complete a blockbuster transfer following their qualification for the Champions League. The Argentine‘s starting price is thought to be €150 million (£130m). Player-plus-cash deal on the table The journalist also discusses the possibility of United convincing Atletico to lower their price by including one of their own players as part of the deal. In another post on X, Durán insists the La Liga giants like several Red Devils and have held talks with one of them. However, he fails to name the player in question. Además, al Atleti le gustan varios jugadores del United y uno uno se ha hablado ya. Eso es información. Mi opinión, en este caso, es que es complicado un pase al United. Pero entiendo que desde el lado del jugador, una vez hechas esas declaraciones, tiene que buscar opciones. — Marcos Durán (@marqoss) June 24, 2026 As far as forwards are concerned, United want to offload Marcus Rashford, who enjoyed a prolific last campaign in Spain. The Englishman could certainly prove to be a solid replacement for Alvarez in Madrid. However, a player-plus-cash deal is a complicated proposition, and the involvement of two high-profile forwards would make matters even trickier. Given United’s focus is on strengthening their midfield, they are unlikely to go far in this race. Feature image Angel Martinez 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 Vishal Singh Vishal has worked in the football media industry for over six years, planning, writing, and editing content for several major outlets, including North Star Network. Vishal has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person, he covers Manchester United — a club he has been religiously following and supporting since 2012. Vishal also manages a leading MUFC fan page, The Red Devils, on Facebook with over a million likes. Big fan of ball-playing centre-backs and Harry Maguire’s knee-slide celebration!