Man Utd ‘pushing to sign’ Nott’m Forest man as Everton battle Fulham for star Ratcliffe wants gone

Manchester United have ‘registered their interest’ in signing one of Nottingham Forest’s top performers as they look to add some additional steel to their midfield – but any transfer is now dependent on them shifting players being sold first and with Everton now emerging as serious competition for Fulham for Scott McTominay.

The Red Devils have made a dent on the summer window as they look add more quality to Erik ten Hag’s squad, with the additions of Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraouri from Bayern Munich set to take their summer spending soaring towards the £150m mark. Adding to the additions of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro, Sir Jim Ratcliffe will hope that Manchester United enjoy a much more consistent season than they did over a seriously-disappointing 2023/24 campaign.

However, Ratcliffe and his sporting director Dan Ashworth are still deperate to add a new face to their midfield; a quest that has so far eluded them.

And while they have seen two offers fall short for PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte, they have decided to put that interest on ice for now with the Ligue 1 giants holding out for a sizeable €60m (£51.4m) fee for the Uruguayan star.

As a result, United have began to look into potential other signings and while they have looked into the possibility of bringing back last season’s loanee Sofyan Amrabat, they are more likely to pursue other options, with TEAMtalk confirming Burnley’s Sander Berge is a serious option to them.

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However, with United having spent their summer budget already and, with the club having to keep on the right side of the Premier League’s strict new FFP regulations, any more signings will need to come via sales generated.

Everton to rival Fulham for Scott McTominay

To that end, TEAMtalk understands that United will now operate through a ‘one in, one out’ basis over the rest of the summer window, potentially limiting their chances of adding any more new faces after De Ligt and Mazraouri before the window closes on Friday August 30.

However, all hope is not lost for United and one player potentially key to unlocking a future midfield transfer is McTominay.

Sources have informed TEAMtalk that the homegrown midfielder absolutely loves it at United and is desperate to stay.

However, he is also very much aware of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s wish to move him on and the British billionaire has made it clear he will not stand in the player’s way if a sizeable offer arrives for his services.

The Scotland midfielder scored 10 goals for United last season, but has been the subject of an approach from Fulham already this summer.

United had originally put a £40m fee on his head – a fee deemed too high by the Cottagers, who had seen an offer rejected at the start of the window.

But with the 27-year-old’s deal due to expire at the end of the season, United are understood to have slashed their asking price for the player and will now allow him to move on for £25m this summer.

That has prompted a fresh offer from Fulham, though it’s understood their offer is only worth around £20m as things stand. As a result, TEAMtalk can confirm that the door has been opened for a transfer hijack of sorts from Everton, who are now planning an approach of their own for the 52-times capped Scotland international.

Man Utd scolded over planned McTominay sale

Napoli, Brentford, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have also all made enquiries for the midfielder at various times this summer and United now hope the reduced asking price will attract an offer which meets with their approval.

From McTominay’s perspective, he is only willing to leave if an offer from ‘right club’ emerges and for a project he feels can enhance his career.

While the prospect of selling McTominay continues to bubble along, former England manager Sam Allardyce believes United could be making a ‘big disaster’ if they let the midfielder depart.

“Now that Erik ten Hag is settled it’s going to be interesting to see whether he’s able to get Man United where they need to go,” Allardyce told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

“It depends on whether the players are onside with him or not. I had a sneaky suspicion at the back end of last season that he lost a few players.

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“I think that is a key element in terms of trust between the manager, players and backroom staff, is an absolute must if you’re going to finish in any position in the Premier League that you surprise people with.

“Man Utd are going to massively surprise people if they finish first or second but you need to be all on board and get unity, it looks like they lost that.”

“Letting Scott McTominay go would be a big disaster for Man Utd, he’s become a goalscorer for Scotland and for United.”

Man Utd transfers: Enquiry made for Nottingham Forest star

If United are able to move McTominay on, Ashworth will quickly look to fill the void by signing a midfielder he feels will either offer better protection for their defence or someone with a deep range of passing skills – Berge for example – in order to offer Ten Hag something a little different.

While their interest in Berge is serious and with Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana another potential option, reports in Brazil suggest a new name is coming to the fore for Ashworth.

And the Red Devils are reportedly ready to make a push to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Danilo Oliveira.

The Brazilian enforcer moved to Forest in January 2023 in a £16m move from Palmeiras, with the Tricky Trees pushing through his signing after Arsenal’s interest in the 5ft 9in schemer ended.

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The 23-year-old, though, has made a big impact in the Premier League, making 49 appearances in that time and scoring six goals across his 18 months in England.

Those performances have raised serious interest in the player with AC Milan among those to have made an enquiry with Forest over a potential deal.

However, according to TNT Sport in Brazil, United have also now made a move and are ready to test the waters with a firm bid.

It’s understood Forest would want a fee in the region of £34m (€4om) for the Brazilian, which is not considered unreasonable, and with representatives of United making their interest known to the player’s agents.

And while no proposal has been submitted so far, there remains a chance that an offer could arrive if United do manage to offload McTominay first.