United’s perfect summer transfer move collapses after Chelsea’s 103m deal falls through – opinion

The idea was simple: Real Madrid would sign Enzo Fernandez, and in doing so, open the door for an Aurelien Tchouameni exit, with Manchester United ready and waiting. For many, that was exactly how things were going to play out, with those claims heavily backed by a report The Peoples Person relayed not too long ago. That report suggested the same money, €120 million (£103m), that Chelsea wanted for Fernandez was what it would take to convince Los Blancos to sell Tchouameni. Aurelien Tchouameni was to make way for Enzo Fernandez For United, then, the hope was that if Madrid went through with the Fernandez swoop, striking a deal for their dream midfield target, Tchouameni, would suddenly look realistic. After missing out on key targets Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, what better way to respond than by signing arguably the world’s best defensive midfielder? Interestingly, while United refused to meet the steep prices for those other targets, INEOS, who see the Real Madrid superstar as a dream capture, were even willing to shatter their wage structure to land him. But whether willing to splash the cash or not, Madrid already appear to have handed United a clear answer on Tchouameni. Fernandez not moving to the Bernabeu A statement from Madrid confirming they are not pursuing Fernandez alone tells its own story on whether Tchouameni will be leaving. Comunicado Oficial. — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) July 3, 2026 With Madrid cooling their interest in their top midfield target, and Rodri, the other option, unlikely to be available given he is set to miss the start of the season, everything points to Tchouameni staying put. Frenkie de Jong deja vu INEOS would be wise to reconsider their midfield targets once again. 🚨 @MarioCortegana: “Beyond Enzo Fernandez being ruled out, last I heard, and we reported, is that Rodri is COMPLETELY RULED OUT as a midfield option for Real Madrid, and Ayyoub Bouaddi is NOT a priority. Either there’s some hidden option nobody knows about, or the club could be… pic.twitter.com/hxesn6TK5K — Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) July 3, 2026 If they persist with Tchouameni even as it becomes obvious he might not be leaving, it risks repeating the Frenkie de Jong saga. That pursuit eventually led United to Casemiro, but it was luck: getting the Brazilian and him coming and being decent. United’s midfield rebuild cannot rely on luck. And it certainly cannot afford to be left as late as it was with Casemiro, after months chasing an ungettable de Jong. Featured image Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey 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.