It could have been the summer for Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes to truly enhance his reputation on the global stage, although once again, Portugal’s World Cup has been overshadowed by the cult of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Alas, now’s the time for the 31-year-old to enjoy a deserved rest following an action-packed 12 months or so, with Michael Carrick needing to ensure his talisman is fit and firing again by the time the new Premier League season kicks off in late August.
One priority too is to ensure that the ex-Sporting CP star pens a new deal before the window is out, with the midfielder’s current contract set to expire in the summer of 2027, albeit with United holding the option of an extension.
As was evident in last term’s record-breaking campaign, Fernandes is still central to everything good about the Old Trafford side, with now the time to truly build a team capable of winning the major honours that remain frustratingly elusive for him.
Man United lodge contract bid to seal marquee midfield signing
The last time Manchester United qualified for the Champions League was back in 2023, with the club subsequently bolstering the squad with the signings of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund.
The Athletic suggested that Casemiro was among those to have been left ‘disappointed‘ by those additions, after missing out on the likes of Harry Kane, with the recruitment not matching up to the ‘ambitions’ that the Brazilian had been promised.
There might be fears of a repeat occurring for Fernandes and co this time around, with notable targets such as Mateus Fernandes and Elliot Anderson moving elsewhere, while concrete movement has been lacking so far this summer.
That could be set to change by all accounts, however, with Chelsea’s Andrey Santos now in line to move to Old Trafford on a £50m deal, having initially signed for the Blues back in January 2023.
Santos’ arrival might also be followed by a more marquee name, with reports in Spain outlining that United have made an approach to Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni.
The suggestion is that INEOS have offered the Frenchman a five-year contract, deemed to be a ‘very good offer’, as they tempt to lure the 26-year-old from the Bernabeu.
This comes after claims that club officials had flown out to Spain in order to spark up negotiations, with Tchouameni currently part of the France side competing in the World Cup.
As per Flashscore, the former Monaco man is open to joining the Red Devils this summer, should Madrid inform him that he no longer part of their plans.
Why Tchouameni could be Man Utd’s best signing since Bruno
Since Fernandes’ capture in January 2020, success stories have been few and far between. The likes of Donny van de Beek, Alex Telles and Edinson Cavani all endured short-lived stays after signing later that year, while Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and the aforementioned Ronaldo have since departed on free transfers following their own arrivals in 2021.
Casemiro, signed in 2022, has also moved on for nothing after signing for £70m, with that summer also seeing £86m splashed out on Antony, a player since sold on to Real Betis for roughly a quarter of that price.
As for the 2023 cohort, Hojlund is now at Napoli, Onana has rejoined Trabzonspor on loan, and Mount has been hamstrung by injury, while for the 2024 bunch, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee appeared destined to depart at some stage, with Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro having all endured injury woes of their own over the past two seasons.
It is only really the 2025 arrivals that can be considered successful additions over the past half a decade, although perhaps even then it’s too early to judge the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Senne Lammens.
None of those recent signings truly raised eyebrows either, yet bringing Tchouameni into the fold would represent a real statement, not least considering his status as arguably the “best defensive midfielder in the world”, in the view of former teammate Chema Andres.
Tchouameni – vs Europe’s midfielders | |
|---|---|
Stat | Rank |
Non-penalty goals | Bottom 37% |
Shots | Top 17% |
Big chances created | Top 35% |
Final third entries | Top 8% |
Forward passes | Top 7% |
Progressive passes | Top 20% |
Passes into final third | Top 5% |
Def. ground duels won | Top 13% |
Def. aerial duels won | Top 2% |
Tackles & interceptions | Top 4% |
Box clearances | Top 10% |
Blocked shots | Top 10% |
For so long, United have been crying out for a genuinely elite number six who is still in their prime, with the Madrid man a player who ticks all the boxes, having notably won the Champions League during his time in Spain.
In LaLiga last season, for instance, he boasted a stellar 92% pass accuracy rate, having won 68% of his ground duels, 76% of his aerial duels, while having been dribbled past just 0.5 times per game.
For comparison, even while stealing the headlines with nine goals in 2025/26, Casemiro was still undone defensively, dribbled past 1.5 times per Premier League appearance, while winning just 53% of his ground duels and only 51% of his aerial duels.
As for pass accuracy, the Brazilian’s average was also way down at 81%.
With the South American departing, the only senior midfielders remaining at Old Trafford besides Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo are Mount and Ugarte, the latter of whom is set to be sidelined for an extended period.
Bringing Tchouameni in to replace the Englishman or Uruguayan would represent such a clear upgrade, perhaps even on Casemiro too, mirroring the arrival of Fernandes when he comfortably ousted Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira in that number ten role.
Sometimes, there are elite additions who can just slot in and immediately make an impact, as Fernandes did following his Sporting switch.
Considering all he’s already shown for both and country, Tchouameni might well be the next player to follow suit in a United shirt.
