Mateus Fernandes is off to Spurs, following Elliot Anderson away from Man Utd, but a new boost keeps hopes of a Premier League-proven midfielder alive.
Having only signed Ederson from Serie A, and the pre-season less than two weeks away, Man Utd need to provide Michael Carrick with more backing.
Mateus Fernandes was looking destined for a move to Old Trafford before Spurs presented him with a blank cheque.
If that was an unexpected bad development, an unexpected good development has opened the doors to another Premier League-proven midfielder.
Mateus Fernandes is set to join Tottenham for £85m: What is your INSTANT REACTION?
WHO do you want Man Utd to sign instead?
Atletico Madrid open the way for Joao Gomes
Joao Gomes was marked as one of the smart options to add to the squad before the season ended, with the Brazilian standing out in a poor Wolves side.
However, United quickly fell behind in the race as Atletico Madrid surged ahead, and a move to Spain looked like a mere formality at one stage.
Since then, Gomes’ Atletico move has hit a snag, and now, another boost makes it seem like Atletico have moved on.
Sporting’s Morten Hjulmand has been linked to Atletico, and a move for the defensive midfielder could all but close the door for Joao Gomes.
When one door closes, another opens, and for Man Utd, the door couldn’t be better because Madrid’s Hjulmand swoop makes Gomes available again.
The breakdown of the deal between Wolves and Atletico happened as the Spanish club weren’t willing to pay £39m.
Having seen Fernandes go for £85m, it’s fair to say that United shouldn’t think twice before paying less than half of that fee for Gomes.
Gomes is the best of both worlds
It defied belief that United weren’t interested in Gomes from the beginning, since he is the best of both worlds in terms of PL pedigree, age profile, and Wolves’ asking price.
Matheus Cunha thinks Joao Gomes could be as good as Casemiro
In fact, the timing of the Atletico move hitting a snag seems too convenient for it to be coincidental.
Could United have hinted to Wolves that they’d match their asking price for Gomes, allowing the player to stay in England as well?
It’s all speculation at this point, but Gomes looks infinitely more attainable than he did this time last month.
Now, it’s up to United to strike while the iron is hot and jump on this opportunity to sign a Premier League-proven midfielder for a good price.
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