Manchester United's Midfield Dilemma: Summer Transfer Targets
Manchester United fans know this feeling far too well.
The club is back in the Champions League after an unexpected surge to third place, the kind of spring finish that usually triggers a summer of statement signings. Instead, they are watching the window tick by with nothing officially done, wondering if Michael Carrick is really going to be asked to fight on four fronts with a squad that still looks light in the middle of the pitch.
The plan, on paper, sounded clear enough. Secure a key midfielder early, build around him, then layer on quality. Ederson, the £35 million man from Atalanta, was meant to be that first domino. His move is viewed as a formality, delayed only by his World Cup duties with Brazil. But formalities don’t win points in August, and while United wait, the market moves without them.
They’ve already seen Elliot Anderson slip to Manchester City. Bruno Fernandes and Sandro Tonali have gone to Spurs. Each deal completed elsewhere sharpens the anxiety. This was supposed to be United’s summer to push on; instead, it feels like they’re standing still while rivals reload.
Carrick’s problem is brutally simple: he needs at least one more midfielder, probably two, and the market has gone wild. Anyone who can win the ball or dictate a game from deep now costs a small fortune. The situation became even more urgent when Manuel Ugarte suffered a serious injury at the World Cup, ripping a hole straight through Carrick’s plans for his midfield core.
United, though, are not completely boxed in. There are still options out there — some glamorous, some pragmatic, some bordering on opportunistic. Each comes with its own price, its own risk, its own story.
Bouaddi: The generational gamble
Ayyoub Bouaddi is the name that makes scouts lean forward in their seats.
He’d already turned heads at Lille, but his World Cup debut for Morocco against Brazil changed the conversation entirely. At 18, he played with an authority that belongs to seasoned internationals: calm under pressure, sharp in the tackle, crisp in possession. One game, and it felt like the whole world took notice.
United, desperate for a midfielder who can both win the ball and use it intelligently, were instantly linked. So were just about all of Europe’s heavyweights. That’s the problem. Bouaddi looks like the sort of talent you build a team around for a decade, but he won’t come cheap, and United have already committed a sizeable fee to Ederson.
Do they really throw another major investment into the same area for a teenager? Or do they walk away and watch what many are calling a generational talent go elsewhere?
Berge: The shrewd, short-term fix
At the other end of the spectrum sits Sander Berge, the low-cost, left-field solution.
For years, the Norwegian seemed destined for one of England’s elite, only for the move never to quite materialise. He impressed at Sheffield United, had a stint at Burnley, and then landed at Fulham in 2024, quietly rebuilding his reputation.
Now he’s at the World Cup reminding everyone what he can do. His performances have reignited talk that United, growing increasingly anxious, might turn to the 28-year-old as a more affordable way to plug the gap.
It wouldn’t be the worst call. Berge offers a different profile to what Carrick already has: height, presence, a measured passing range, and the ability to knit play together. He wouldn’t transform United overnight, but he’d add reliability and experience at a fee that wouldn’t blow up the budget.
The question is whether United want a stopgap or a cornerstone.
Baleba: Talent at a terrifying price
Carlos Baleba is the midfielder Jason Wilcox clearly believes could become one of the Premier League’s best.
United pushed hard for the Brighton man last summer, only to back away when the Seagulls demanded £100m. That figure raised eyebrows then; it looks even more outlandish now.
Baleba, still just 22, remains a dynamic presence with obvious upside. Yet his 2025-26 campaign was underwhelming, not the breakout season many expected. Brighton, though, are said to be standing firm on their valuation, refusing to budge despite the lack of consistent top-level performances.
From a footballing perspective, Baleba would add drive, energy, and ball-carrying power to United’s midfield. From a financial perspective, the numbers are hard to defend. Paying an extortionate fee for a player who still has so much to prove would be a huge leap of faith — one that could define this regime if it goes wrong.
Scott: The rising Premier League organiser
Alex Scott is a different kind of bet: proven in the Premier League, still improving, and already a central figure in a remarkable story.
Bournemouth’s run to sixth place and a first-ever European qualification owed plenty to the 22-year-old’s influence from deep. He controlled tempo, linked play, and chipped in with four goals and two assists. Some pundits felt he was unlucky to miss out on England’s World Cup squad in North America.
Liverpool have been heavily linked since Andoni Iraola swapped the Vitality Stadium for Anfield, but United are firmly in the conversation too. Scott fits the profile Carrick likes: intelligent on the ball, tactically sharp, comfortable operating in a deeper role.
The snag is the fee. Bournemouth are open to selling, but only at what they call the “right price” — and that reportedly starts at £70m. For a player with Scott’s potential, the number isn’t outrageous in today’s market, yet it still forces a harsh internal debate at Old Trafford.
Is he the kind of midfielder you reshape your budget around? Or just another very good player in a window where United need something closer to transformative?
Santos: The attainable wildcard
Andrey Santos is the name that split United’s online fanbase the moment it emerged over the weekend.
Once tipped as a future Selecao star after breaking into Vasco da Gama’s first team at 16, his trajectory has not been as smooth as many predicted. He didn’t make Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad for Brazil, a worrying sign given the team’s obvious lack of dynamism in midfield. He has been on Chelsea’s books since 2023, but only last season, under Liam Rosenior, did he start to see meaningful minutes.
That patchy club record makes it hard for United supporters to get truly excited. This doesn’t feel like a marquee signing. It feels like a punt.
Yet there is clearly a player there. Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believed Santos could flourish in a deep-lying role, using his awareness and passing range to dictate from the base of midfield. At 22, he still has time to grow into that role.
Crucially, Chelsea are very open to selling. That makes Santos, in pure market terms, the most obtainable name on United’s list. No bidding war. No £100m stand-off. Just a deal that could be done quickly, allowing Carrick to get at least one new midfielder in before the season starts.
For that reason alone, he currently looks like the most likely arrival at Old Trafford.
And that, in many ways, captures the state of Manchester United’s summer: caught between the dream of landing a star who can redefine the midfield and the reality of a market that punishes hesitation, overpays potential, and rarely offers perfect solutions.
