£80m star now dreams of signing for Manchester United

The season has come to an end and Manchester United will be able to look back favorably on the way things ended.

It hasn’t always been that way for the Red Devils, but with new permanent manager Michael Carrick at the helm, better days are on the horizon.

Bruno Fernandes was named Premier League Player of the Year, United are set to play Champions League football once again and, if reports are to be believed, several new signings could be on the way.

That happens to be in the midfield department, with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte set to leave, so Carrick is in desperate need of some reinforcements.

Latest updates on Manchester United’s midfield hunt

The chatter in recent days has revolved around Brazilian midfielder Ederson. It was reported a few weeks ago that the Atalanta star had already agreed personal terms for a move to Old Trafford, and it appears the groundwork was important to finalize the deal.

The latest update on the move is that club-to-club negotiations are underway between United and the Serie A club, with talks said to be “positive”.

This move feels like a real success, but Carrick and the team need a second midfielder. A loose report in Italy on Saturday suggested that a deal for Sandro Tonali was also close to being agreed, but that certainly seems unlikely at this point.

So where will Jason Wilcox turn next? Now, West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes is a player on the club’s radar and, like Ederson, was looking for a way out from his current club.

The Hammers look set to be relegated on Sunday afternoon, which could prompt a move for Fernandes. United want him and, with his valuation at £80m, it won’t be cheap to make another move from east London.

However, the spirit of the midfielder who turned on the switch gave them a boost. According to a report from RoundTable, Fernandes considers United a “dream move”.

The player is said to be very positive about going to Old Trafford and that personal conditions will not be an issue.

Comparison between Fernandes and Ederson

The general consensus this summer is that United will sign a cheap midfielder in the form of Ederson and then move towards a more expensive option in the form of someone like Fernandes, or their top target Elliott Anderson.

In the form of Ederson, they will have a proven product described by Italian content creator Damiano Coccia as “the best defensive midfielder in the world”.

He has a good toolkit, especially in terms of wins per 90 minutes on the ground this season, which ranks him at 13%, the best of any midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues. He is also a forward-thinking player, with a progressive carry of 1.57 per 90 that ranks among the best among midfielders at 14%.

However, there is a feeling that the 26-year-old has already reached his peak.

However, Fernandes is a player with a huge ceiling. He is already dominant in the Premier League, has significant experience in English football and has immense potential.

This is a player with an all-around game that rivals probably the greatest midfielders in the league right now. Declan Rice.

Rice and Fernandes are the two best players in the Premier League in 2025/26 in this respect, defined as ‘ground eaters’ – players who are exceptionally good at collecting and retaining the ball.

No other player has a higher ratio of progressive carry distance to turnovers per carry. For those wondering what exactly that means, it’s basically defined by how far forward a player can clear ground by dribbling before losing the ball.

Ederson has completed just 0.64 dribbles per 90 points this season, while Fernandes’ 0.86 is a statistic that backs this up.

The above can also be quantified by ball recovery rate. In that regard, the West Ham star has scored 6.42 points per 90 this term, compared to the Brazilian’s 5.92.

At first glance, Ederson appears to be a suitable replacement for Casemiro. He wins more duels, with 2.29 ground duels won per 90 compared to Fernandez’s 1.55. But the Irons midfield star will give Carrick a completely different dynamic from the center of the park. Carrick has far more energy and carrying ability than Casemiro ever had at Old Trafford.

This combination is very different players, but that’s what makes them such an interesting proposition. In reality, both Ederson and Fernandes could join, but comparisons with Rice will no doubt raise the profile of the latter, and what the England international did at the Emirates Stadium will give you an idea of ​​what a player of his caliber can do for a title-chasing team.

It would be a sensational signing for Fernandes, who has already been hailed as a “superstar” by soccer writer Joost van der Rey. At just 21 years old, he will be a player who shines from the middle of the park for United for the next 10 years. Ederson is a floor-raiser, but West Ham’s midfielder is a ceiling-raiser.