United hold “fresh talks” with England international as Mateus Fernandes pursuit gets complicated – report

Manchester United’s attempts at signing Mateus Fernandes keep hitting a brick wall. Initially, it was West Ham’s valuation that caused problems. But now, the entry of Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have threatened to ruin INEOS’ well-laid plans. Spurs are reportedly close to agreeing personal terms and, if they match the Hammers’ asking price, there is a real chance the Portuguese international could head to North London instead of Old Trafford. United’s co-owners are rightly not keeping all their eggs in one basket and are monitoring other Premier League-proven midfielders. Mateus Fernandes chase continues to run into complications Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has been mentioned as a concrete target, and while the Cherries are looking to agree a new deal with the Englishman, so far both sides have yet to come to an agreement. Even if the 22-year-old does sign on the dotted line, matching his release clause is unlikely to be a problem for United. Amid all this, the reliable Sully has reported that INEOS have met the Bournemouth star’s representatives and have held talks. “Mateus Fernandes is United’s main priority, and they are in ongoing talks with West Ham and his agents on this deal. Alex Scott emerges as a concrete target “However, this doesn’t mean we aren’t doing any other business elsewhere. We are constantly having meetings with the agents of targets and clubs too. “A quick example I can give you is that we have had fresh talks with the agents of Alex Scott in recent days and weeks. There have also been checks made on other positions as the data pool has shortened.” The ideal scenario for United would involve signing Mateus Fernandes to add to Ederson’s capture. It is well known that Michael Carrick wants as many as three new signings in his engine room. Alex Scott could be that third option. INEOS will now have to decide whether to stick to their stance of not overpaying and possibly pivot to a new target, or finally get their man and then move on to that third option. Feature image Ryan Pierse 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