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Fabrizio Romano Reveals Man Utd Want £165m Midfield Duo After Fernandes Snub

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Fabrizio Romano has revealed the two midfielders Manchester United have high on their shortlist after missing out on Mateus Fernandes.

Tottenham Hotspur beat the Red Devils to Fernandes’ signature after paying West Ham United’s £85 million asking price up front. The Portuguese midfielder had been one of INEOS’ top midfield targets, but the club refused to match Spurs’ bid for the player.

It means United have again gone back to the drawing board after also failing to land Elliot Anderson. The England star preferred a move to Manchester City, who paid £116m to Nottingham Forest, making him the most expensive British player in history.

Romano on Man Utd midfield plans

Aurelien Tchouameni

Aurelien Tchouameni

via Reuters

United have long been expected to sign at least two new midfielders this summer following Casemiro‘s departure. There had also been doubts over Manuel Ugarte’s future, although a knee ligament injury seems likely to prevent a summer transfer.

Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, has given an update on the club’s plans to overhaul Michael Carrick’s midfield. Two names are highly admired, and one is viewed as an ideal Casemiro replacement.

“The two names that Man United internally consider as fantastic options are Aurelien Tchouameni, but I told you the problem at the moment is the salary, and at the moment, no green light from Real Madrid.”

United have been eyeing Aurelien Tchouameni since the summer transfer window opened, and the French midfielder has a profile similar to Casemiro. He’s been an important player for Real Madrid over the years and even arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu for £85m after the veteran Brazilian left for Old Trafford in August 2022.

Romano added: “Alex Scott is also highly rated by Arsenal and by Manchester United. Alex Scott has many clubs around him this summer, but Bournemouth insist they want to keep the player, and they want to offer him a new contract. Let’s see if Bournemouth will be able to keep him, because one thing is to say that one thing is in the next two months resist in case they receive big proposals.”

Alex Scott enjoyed a superb past season and even earned a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the ongoing World Cup. The former Bristol City midfielder is considered an alternative to Fernandes but United face competition from Arsenal for his signature.

Romano also mentioned that Bournemouth’s stance is currently that the Englishman isn’t leaving the Vitality Stadium. He suggested the Cherries could “open doors” for “big money” amid growing interest in their midfield gem who is thought to be valued at £80m.

United already have one new midfielder signed following Ederson’s arrival from Atalanta in a £35m deal. That said, the Brazilian isn’t viewed as a starter or a marquee signing required to address Casemiro’s exit.

Why Man Utd’s midfield mission is failing

West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes celebrates scoring vs Sunderland via Reuters

There are many issues that have complicated United’s midfield rebuild, including a market shift driven by astronomical fees paid for midfielders. Spurs have not only forked out £85m for Fernandes but also agreed on a staggering £100m deal with Newcastle United for Sandro Tonali.

While signing a Casemiro replacement has been a priority, doing so for such high fees wasn’t INEOS’ intention. That said, their reported stance that they only want players who are “desperate” to join the club is a strategy that won’t work this time around.

Last summer, United beat several Premier League clubs to the signings of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha. They insisted on pursuing only players who had made Old Trafford their priority.

Aurelien Tchouameni for Real Madrid (2025-26)

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Yellow Cards

Red Cards

La Liga

33

1

0

8

0

UEFA Champions League

13

1

1

3

0

Total (Club)

46

2

1

11

0

This mindset, while admirable, won’t always pan out, as players will often go where the money is. Tchouameni might be demanding high wages to make the move, and this is just where the sport finds itself in today’s game.

United can’t afford to miss out on the best possible Casemiro replacement who can lock down the number six position for years to come. He is still only 26 and would arrive with years of experience at club and country level.

All stats courtesy of SofaScore – correct as of 04/07/2026

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Ben Jacobs Reveals Tottenham’s Next Transfer Targets After Sandro Tonali

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Tottenham may still make two more moves despite already racking up a record transfer spend this summer. Spurs have extraordinarily busy during the summer window so far, snapping up Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

The last three of those signings have cost Spurs well over £200million, signaling a clear change in recruitment strategy from the North London club, and they are not done yet.

Roberto De Zerbi still has areas of his squad he wants to improve, and we are likely to see further recruitment this summer.

Jacobs expects more Tottenham transfer business

Roberto De Zerbi

Speaking on the Market Madness podcast, GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs explained what Spurs have planned for the rest of the summer window. “As we’ve just heard, Tottenham are going to be ambitious. They had £100million of capital injected into the club. They want a left winger, very possibly a number nine, too, so keep an eye on Tottenham right up until deadline day, because there are more signings to come.”

Spurs are not worried about Profit and Sustainability rules complications at this point, given they have always been safely in the green when it comes to those spending rules. A spending bill of more than £300million this summer, which now looks likely, will put them a lot closer, but many of the payments will be spread out over the coming years, and the main impact is likely to be lesser spending in the next couple of years, which is likely the plan anyway due to the amount of capital being committed this summer.

Tottenham’s possible attacking targets

Rafael Leao in action for AC Milan

Spurs likely need a striker due to uncertainty over Richarlison’s future, Dominic Solanke’s injury record and the fact Randal Kolo Muani was not signed permanently. Any top team needs three good strikers competing for the position, and it would be a big surprise if De Zerbi didn’t snap up another frontman.

We haven’t seen too many number nines linked with Spurs this summer, beyond Dusan Vlahovic, who appears to be more likely to head to the Bundesliga on a free transfer this summer, with links to the Premier League cooling following his official departure from Juventus on June 30.

We have seen more wingers linked with Spurs, and one of the attractive targets will be AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, a left-winger available for around £60million or a touch less. The Portugal international has asked to leave the Italian giants, and they are likely to accommodate a move at the right price.

Manchester City’s Savinho has also been heavily linked with Spurs, but it appears the North London side are not in a rush to make a decision about the attacking spot, having concentrated on their midfield recruitment over the last couple of weeks.


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Tottenham Handed Bargain Asking Price For ‘Buccaneering’ Serie A Star

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Tottenham are being tipped to add depth on the right side of the field with the signing of a current Serie A star. It has been a busy summer for Spurs, who have put together a record spend to help Roberto De Zerbi hit the ground running in his first full season in charge of the club.

Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes are the last two to join, costing £185million collectively when add-ons are factored in, but having completely changed their recruitment strategy, Spurs will not end their summer investment there.

A winger and a striker are likely next on De Zerbi’s shopping list, while there could be further moves to fill out the squad.

Spurs linked with Serie A bargain winger

Raoul Bellanova italy

One of the new names to be linked with a move to Tottenham is Atalanta winger Raoul Bellanova, who could be on the market this winter. Bellanova operated as a right wing-back for the Italian club last season, making 24 league appearances, but he can play on the right as an out-and-out winger.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Atalanta could be open to a sale this summer, and there is interest from Napoli, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Everton. All of those clubs are said to have reached out to ask about the conditions of a possible deal, and they have been informed that it will take €15-20million to do a deal, which is between £12.8million and £17.1million.

New Napoli boss Massimiliano Allegri is said to be ‘very keen’ on a deal, while it’s unclear where the player wants to play. But Tottenham’s Italian boss will surely give them an edge if he decides to leave Italy. But there may be less starting opportunities at Tottenham, with Pedro Porro hard to replace at right-back or right wing-back, while there are more productive options further ahead. What is clear is that Bellanova’s time with Atalanta is said to be over.

Bellanova a ‘buccaneering’ wing-back

Raoul Bellanova

Bellanova has previously been described as a ‘buccaneering right-back’, owing to his ability to get forward. The same scouting report describes him as ‘confident on the ball’, adding that he ‘can make an impact offensively’.

Bellanova has typically played wing-back during his career, also playing there for Cagliari, despite coming through as a winger. What is worth keeping in mind is that experienced wing-backs who play the position regularly are hard to find, and the signing could be something De Zerbi wants for what he wants to play with three or five at the back.


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X-Rated NFL Joke Leaves Guests Stunned

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Pop superstar Taylor Swift married NFL superstar Travis Kelce at a highly-secretive celebration in New York on Friday night.

Both Swift and Kelce went to great lengths to try and maintain a sense of privacy around the occasion, with guests even required to sign non-disclosure agreements before any details of the day could be shared with them.

The couple even individually watermarked every invitation with the guest’s name, meaning that they would easily be able to identify who was at fault if a copy of the invite was to leak to the media.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Wedding Explored

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at the Country Music Awards Credit: Briana Sanchez / USA TODAY NETWORK

The pair, who began dating in the summer of 2023, exchanged nuptials at the city’s iconic Madison Square Garden in front of a star-studded congregation of guests.

Among those who are believed to have attended the ceremony were Jay-Z, Steven Spielberg and Bradley Cooper. That trio joined confirmed guests such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Graham Norton and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.


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According to a source for the Daily Mail, all of the above were left stunned when Swift’s close pal, Lena Dunham, took to the microphone and made a controversial joke about Kelce’s NFL career.

Three-time Superbowl winner Kelce has enjoyed a highly-successful run in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition to his Super Bowl triumphs, he is an 11-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro. The 36-year-old is widely considered to be one of the best tight ends in the history of the game.

The X-Rated NFL Joke That Left Wedding Guests Shocked

Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, NFL fans Credit: Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK

However, those accolades apparently didn’t impress Dunham all that much as she laid into the groom’s profession in savage fashion, declaring:

“American football is just straight guys reenacting gay porn.”

The comment reportedly ‘drew gasps’ from those in attendance, although Swift seemed to really enjoy the swipe. As Dunham left the stage, Taylor apparently hailed her pal as “a genius” following her speech.

Swift and Dunham have been friends for years, with Taylor even serving as a bridesmaid at the actress and director’s own wedding in 2021. No information has yet emerged on Travis’ reaction to the line.

Although Kelce is now entering the final stages of his NFL career, he re-signed with the Chiefs back in March, ultimately agreeing to a three-year deal worth a reported $54.7 million.

With Dunham’s NFL jibe becoming one of the few pieces of information to leak from the wedding, Kelce will likely be reminded of the comment on multiple occasions once the new season gets underway in September.

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