Fierce PL rivals leave the race for 22yo midfield genius, United fans will be in dreamland – report

Manchester United’s quest to revamp their midfield has not gone according to plan. They agreed a deal for Ederson quite quickly, but things have gone downhill since then. First, the Red Devils were priced out of moves for Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali. Then, when it seemed like they were close to an agreement for Mateus Fernandes, Tottenham Hotspur decided to enter the scene and are currently favourites to pull off a late hijack. This has meant INEOS have had to pivot to alternative targets, just in case, with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott emerging as a concrete option. Alex Scott has emerged as an alternative The Cherries are keen not to lose their talisman and are trying to get the Englishman to agree a new contract. Should the 22-year-old do so, his new deal is expected to include a release clause of £75 million, with Arsenal joining the 20-time English league champions in the race. In some rare good news for United, the Gunners seem to have left the race, if Football Transfers are to be believed. “FootballTransfers also understands Arsenal are not inclined to make a bid for Alex Scott, despite holding the Bournemouth midfielder in high regard. Arsenal leave the race for Alex Scott “The Athletic reported earlier in June that Arsenal have added Scott to their shortlist of targets, with the 22-year-old believed to be valued at €92m (£80m) by Bournemouth.” The current league champions are focusing on Bruno Guimaraes instead, which leaves United in pole position for Alex Scott. Whether INEOS press on ahead for the Bournemouth ace or continue negotiating with West Ham for Mateus Fernandes remains to be seen. The Old Trafford side’s plans to add a third midfielder have also taken a hit following Manuel Ugarte‘s injury at the World Cup. Feature image Dan Mullan 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25