United suffer another gut punch to the stomach as midfield maestro’s price shoots up – report

Manchester United are currently scrambling to find an alternative after encountering problems galore in their bid to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United. It was expected to be a walk in the park following the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League, but the London side have so far remained adamant regarding their £80 million asking price. INEOS remained confident of tying up a deal at a lower fee owing to the Portugal international’s desire to play alongside his idol, Bruno Fernandes. But the late entry of Tottenham Hotspur has completely flipped the script. Spurs are ready to match West Ham’s asking price while also offering a larger wage packet to win the race for the 21-year-old. United forced to target Alex Scott As a result, the Red Devils have had to pivot to other Premier League-proven names, with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott emerging as a concrete option. The Cherries would ideally like the Englishman, who has two years left on his contract, to agree to a new long-term deal. But so far, the 22-year-old has refused to sign on the dotted line, with talks of a potential deal for around £60 million doing the rounds. But The Sun have now revealed that the team from the South Coast have no intention of parting ways with their midfield talisman for such a measly fee. City’s transfer dealings have taken a toll on United In fact, following Elliot Anderson’s record-breaking move to Manchester City, Bournemouth are also set to up their demands for Alex Scott. “BOURNEMOUTH are looking to negotiate a new contract with midfielder Alex Scott. Scott, 22, is about to enter the final two years of his existing deal and is generating interest from Manchester United. “Bournemouth have raised their asking price for Scott following Elliot Anderson’s impending £116million transfer to Manchester City.” While a fee has not been mentioned, there were murmurs that a release clause of £75 million would be added to the former Bristol City ace’s contract. That is expected to change. United have a dilemma on their hands City’s reckless spending has meant almost all major midfield targets will see a bump in their asking prices between now and the end of the season. Whether United go all out to land Alex Scott or they continue to pursue Mateus Fernandes until the bitter end remains to be seen. Feature image Justin Setterfield 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