£39m star now wants to sign for Man Utd

With Michael Carrick now on the verge of being given the permanent gig at Manchester United, attention turns towards the summer transfer window.

Last year, they were still able to lure the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to the club despite not having any Champions League football.

So, this summer, with a place at Europe’s top table confirmed, there is great expectation about who they may be able to entice to Old Trafford. Is Elliott Anderson on the cards?

After his performance for Nottingham Forest at the Theatre of Dreams last Sunday, supporters will certainly hope so. Yet, boasting a £100m valuation, it’s a move that’s unlikely to go through, particularly with Manchester City lingering.

Here’s who they could sign instead.

Man United targeting several Anderson alternatives

Man United need a midfielder, make no mistake about it. Casemiro will be leaving, reportedly bound for Inter Miami, and he will subsequently leave a huge hole in the engine room. It’s one that would be filled brilliantly by Anderson.

Their short list is something of a long list with several alternatives in Jason Wilcox’s crosshairs. That includes Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali, with reports this week suggesting United have already made contact with the relevant parties to understand how much it may take to extract him from St James’ Park.

In an ideal world, they would buy from within the Premier League. It explains links to Anderson and Tonali, as well as Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. He has had an agreement on personal terms with the Red Devils for nearly a year now.

That being said, it feels like the most likely addition right now will be Brazilian midfielder Ederson.

Talk of a move for the Atalanta star has really ramped up in recent weeks, with some reports stating he has already agreed a contract with United. Club-to-club talks are yet to begin but Fabrizio Romano has now noted how the next few days could be pivotal in the player’s future.

Taking to social media on Thursday, Romano wrote: “New contacts will take place in the next days for Éderson’s future with Manchester United interested.”

The transfer reporter further stated that the 26-year-old is “open” to joining and could command a fee of around £39m.

How Ederson compares to Casemiro and Mainoo

Ruben Amorim, what on earth were you doing? It’s safe to say the Portuguese didn’t get a whole lot right during his time in English football but not playing Kobbie Mainoo more was a sackable offence.

The academy graduate rose to prominence under Erik ten Hag, not just scoring in an FA Cup final but also becoming a regular for England.

However, under Amorim, he really struggled for game time. Before the young coach was given the boot in the new year, Mainoo was not given a single start in the league during 2025/26. It beggars belief considering his form since Carrick came in.

After the interim manager’s arrival, the 21-year-old has started all but one league match, the 2-1 defeat to Leeds when he was unavailable due to injury.

Alongside Casemiro, they have quickly forged one of the best midfield partnerships in the league. Alas, that will be broken up after this Sunday.

So, why could Ederson fill the hole that his fellow Brazilian is set to leave behind? Well, he’s something of a hybrid between the two.

Analysing the data, we can see that like Casemiro, Ederson is a fierce duel winner. There’s just 0.06 separating them in terms of the volume of tackles and interceptions they make per 90 minutes. They are also having a pretty similar number of shots per 90.

Mainoo isn’t a huge duel winner, but what he is good at is progressing play and giving extra energy to Carrick’s side. That’s not something Casemiro is particularly good at given he is now 34.

In that regard, the midfield veteran makes just 0.35 progressive carries per 90. Fortunately, like Mainoo, Ederson is strong in this area of the game. There’s not much to separate them for both successful dribbling and carrying.

Sure, the Atalanta midfield warrior may not be Anderson, but he is still an incredibly good footballer. Hailed by Italian content creator Damiano Coccia as “the strongest defensive midfielder in the world“, there is plenty to like here. Possessing the best attributes of both Mainoo and Casemiro, there are few better options on the market right now for what United want and need.