While the third of Manchester United bosses are unsure whether manager Michael Carrick is the right man to lead them next season, they are working intensely to bring in reinforcements if they actually manage to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Manchester United have an advantage over many other clubs this season with smaller games because they are out of all European competitions this season.

The biggest transfer to the Premier League ever

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Before this weekend’s game away to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, they are in 3rd place with the same points as Aston Villa in 4th place. – A crucial battle for budgets in the summer, the job of Michael Carrick and indeed also for Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior who is dependent on Champions League participation to keep his job.

The latest news on Manchester United’s top goalkeeper Elliot Anderson as INEOS has made contact with the Nottingham Forest star.

Manchester United admire the likes of Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães, but Anderson is their first choice to start a midfield revamp. The recruitment chiefs at Old Trafford are very impressed with Anderson’s outstanding performances for both Forest and the England national team.

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The 23-year-old looks set to leave Forest this summer, with interest from United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. The sky-blue part of Manchester is targeting both Anderson and Tonali as they plan their own midfield revolution.

But Manchester United aim to stay in the race for Anderson, they see him as a better buy for the money than Tonali.

In his last Q&A for The Athletic, Ornstein was asked about Anderson’s situation, as well as the interest from United and City. He said:

“If they sell, Forest want to set a Premier League record for a transfer for a midfielder. If they stick with it, will both of these clubs be willing to pay the price?”

“Anderson already earns over £100,000 a week, so you have to offer him a very high salary.”

“Clubs are calling Forest, but they are focusing solely on the end of their own season, so there are no real negotiations going on at the moment.”

“Anderson will also behave in an exemplary manner and not push for a transfer. He also has a World Cup to think about.”

Ornstein also spoke about Wharton, Tonali and Baleba, who represent potential Plan B options for United.

“We know Wharton is greatly admired, but Crystal Palace will charge a very high price for him and it will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to pay it,” he added.

“Clubs like United, for example, will look at him as an option for signing a second midfielder – not the first, which in their case would be Anderson or someone else – and therefore they may not want to come close to the level Palace will demand.”

“Tonali has a lot of interest, as well documented, and the amount of noise suggests that his support staff may be eager to explore their options – but I don’t think there’s a clear picture yet of what’s going to happen.”

“The same goes for Carlos Baleba. There are other serious candidates for this position who may receive less media attention – such as Alex Scott – but they should not be underestimated. I’m sure we’ll be talking a lot more about them in the weeks to come.”

“Bidding war” for Elliot Anderson predicted

Nottingham Forest are trying to start a “bidding war” for Anderson.

    “As for Elliot Anderson, which club benefits enormously from more clubs being interested? Nottingham Forest,” said GSM expert Bailey.

    “They don’t want anyone to think that Manchester City have this in the box – they want a bidding war, and that’s completely understandable. They want a market price, they want to get a three-figure deal.”

    “Is Anderson worth £100 million? There’s the eternal argument that no one is, but in today’s market, it’s hard not to see him in that category – his stocks are rising and rising.”

    Manchester United have stepped up their pursuit of Anderson as they try to prevent him from moving to the Etihad.

    The most expensive midfielder in Premier League history is currently Florian Wirtz, who joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £116 million. – No one mentions the Florian Wirtz transition in celebratory speeches so far, the success has been a long time coming. Things are looking a little better now than they did a few weeks ago, we are predicting a boost if Liverpool sign his old boss Xabi Alonso as their new manager in the summer.

    Some reports have suggested that Forest are going to charge a staggering £120 million for Anderson, although £80-100 million is a more likely price point.

    INEOS has several big decisions to make this summer and potential midfield signings are among them. The United management will also have to decide whether to continue with Michael Carrick or hire a new manager.

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