Manchester United Revamp Midfield with Ederson and Mateus Fernandes

Manchester United are preparing for a very different-looking midfield next season – and they are moving fast to make it happen.

Casemiro, outstanding across this campaign but now 34, will not be offered a new contract and is set to walk away on a free transfer this summer. Manuel Ugarte, signed for £50.5 million with big expectations, is also on the chopping block after failing to convince. Two sizeable investments, two exits. The message from Old Trafford is clear: the engine room is being rebuilt, not patched up.

United’s top target had been Elliot Anderson, but that pursuit is slipping away. Manchester City are closing in, and with their rivals moving ahead, United have pivoted sharply towards two new names: Ederson of Atalanta and West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.

This time, they intend to finish the job.

Ederson deal ‘closing in’

Ederson is the closest to the door. According to talkSPORT, United are “closing in” on a deal for the Brazilian midfielder worth up to £43m, with talks with Atalanta already at an advanced stage.

Crucially, the player has given the move the green light. Ederson is ready to sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford, a commitment that would place him at the heart of United’s medium-term plans rather than as a short-term fix.

United’s hierarchy want Ederson wrapped up quickly. The plan, as reported, is to land the Brazilian and then push hard for Fernandes, using the momentum of one major signing to drive through the second.

United push to the front for Mateus Fernandes

If Ederson is close, Mateus Fernandes is the next piece they are trying to lock in.

CaughtOffside report that United now “lead the race” for the 21-year-old and have emerged as the “strongest contenders” after accelerating talks with his agents. Arsenal are interested and view him as a possible successor to Christian Norgaard, while Chelsea, Aston Villa, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid are all monitoring his situation.

Plenty of admirers, then. But United have done the most groundwork and currently sit in pole position.

There is also a powerful pull from inside the dressing room. Fernandes is keen on the idea of linking up with compatriot Bruno Fernandes, and the prospect of stepping straight into Champions League football with United only strengthens that attraction.

Earlier suggestions placed his fee as high as £80m. The landscape has shifted. Following West Ham’s relegation, CaughtOffside now claim the midfielder is available for €50–60m (£43–52m), a figure that suddenly makes a double midfield signing far more realistic for United.

A third midfielder on the radar

The shake-up might not stop at two.

According to the Daily Mail’s Manchester United correspondent Chris Wheeler, the club are also planning a £20m move for a further midfield option if the finances stretch, with Southampton’s Shea Charles among the targets under consideration.

Three midfielders in, two out, and a clear shift in profile and age. United are cutting ties with an ageing anchor and an underperforming signing, and turning towards younger, more dynamic options who can grow into a new core.

The question now is not whether Old Trafford’s midfield will change, but how radically – and how quickly United can turn these advanced talks into signatures on contracts.