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**Carrick Eyes Midfield Reinforcements as United Chase Tchouameni and Scott**

After missing out on Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham in an £85 million deal, Aurelien Tchouameni and Alex Scott remain high on Manchester United’s list of midfield targets alongside Felix Nmecha, Ayyoub Bouaddi, and Sander Berge. Michael Carrick wants to strengthen the engine room following Ederson’s imminent arrival from Atalanta, and INEOS now face a crucial choice: go all-in for a marquee name or spread the budget wisely.

Let’s be real — Tchouameni is one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet and has long been reported as United’s dream signing. But dream targets don’t come easy, especially when Jose Mourinho doesn’t want to sell him from Real Madrid. And even if Los Blancos were tempted, Tchouameni would need to lower his wage demands — something INEOS might balk at given their summer cost-cutting approach.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth’s Scott is also a high-priority target, though Arsenal are also frontrunners and Bournemouth don’t want to sell their best players, preferring to offer Scott a new deal. The Cherries could slap an £80 million price tag on the 22-year-old, which would be another steep ask. United are also making further checks on Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, who continues to impress at the World Cup.

Here’s the kicker: after Spurs gazumped us on Fernandes, we can’t afford another embarrassing miss. Carrick transformed this squad from Amorim’s wreckage into a Champions League outfit, and he deserves the tools to build on that momentum. We’ve got Mainoo flying and Fernandes orchestrating, but we need depth and steel in the middle — especially with Casemiro’s age showing. INEOS must act decisively and land at least one of these names, or risk watching Arsenal and Chelsea strengthen while we scramble for scraps. The fanbase won’t tolerate another window of “almosts.”

✍️ This summary was written by the MUFC Fanatics SA team based on reporting from Sky Sports.

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