Manchester United's Midfield Dilemma: Transfer Targets for Summer 2023
Manchester United fans know this feeling too well.
The neighbours are spending, rivals are moving, timelines are buzzing with new signings elsewhere – and Old Trafford is stuck in neutral. For a fanbase scarred by years of waste, the restraint is understandable. The anxiety is, too.
United are back in the Champions League after an unexpected third-place finish. That should have been the trigger for a statement summer, a chance for Michael Carrick to stockpile quality for a season that will demand depth across four competitions. Instead, with pre-season looming, the club have yet to officially unveil a single new face.
Ederson’s £35 million move from Atalanta is inching towards completion after his World Cup duties with Brazil, and everyone around the deal insists it’s a formality. But formality doesn’t win you points in August. While United waited, Elliot Anderson slipped to Manchester City. Bruno Fernandes and Sandro Tonali headed to Spurs. The market has moved on. United, so far, have not.
Carrick’s biggest headache sits right in the middle of the pitch.
The World Cup brought a brutal twist: Manuel Ugarte suffered a serious injury, ripping a sizeable hole in United’s midfield plans. In a window where ball-winners and playmakers are going for absurd money, losing your most combative presence is the last thing any manager needs.
Quality is scarce. Prices are wild. Yet United still have options – none of them straightforward, all of them carrying risk.
Ayyoub Bouaddi: the generational gamble
Before a ball was kicked in the World Cup, Ayyoub Bouaddi had already turned heads at Lille. Scouts liked him. Analysts liked him. But his performance for Morocco in the opening game against Brazil did something else entirely. It jolted the wider football world.
Eighteen years old, playing with the poise of a veteran, he took the ball under pressure, broke lines, and bit into tackles. Suddenly, every elite sporting director in Europe had his name underlined in red.
United’s need for a midfielder who can both win the ball and use it cleanly makes Bouaddi an obvious fit. The links were immediate. So were the complications. Every major club is circling, and any deal would demand a huge fee.
Then there’s the internal question: after committing serious money to Ederson, would United really go all-in on another young midfielder? On talent alone, Bouaddi looks like a once-in-a-generation prospect. On cost and squad balance, he is the boldest – and riskiest – play on the board.
Sander Berge: the pragmatic pivot
At the other end of the spectrum sits Sander Berge, the left-field, low-cost route out of trouble.
For years, Berge felt destined for a move to the Premier League’s upper tier. It never quite materialised. He impressed at Sheffield United, had a brief spell at Burnley, then landed at Fulham in 2024, quietly rebuilding his reputation.
Now he’s using the World Cup to remind everyone what he can do. Long-legged, composed, capable of knitting play and offering a different physical profile, Berge has slipped back into the conversation – and into United’s rumour mill.
For a club increasingly wary of nine-figure mistakes, the appeal is obvious. He wouldn’t break the bank. He wouldn’t arrive as a superstar. But he would give Carrick something he doesn’t currently have: a tall, technically sound midfielder who can shift the rhythm of games and offer a reliable presence without the glare of a marquee price tag.
Desperate? Maybe. Sensible? Possibly.
Carlos Baleba: elite potential, elite price
If there’s one midfielder Jason Wilcox has already nailed his colours to, it’s Carlos Baleba.
United pushed hard for the Cameroon international last summer, only to recoil at Brighton’s £100m valuation. That number raised eyebrows then. It looks even more stubborn now.
Baleba’s 2025-26 campaign was solid rather than spectacular. He showed flashes of the dynamism that first caught the eye, but he didn’t dominate the league. Despite that, Brighton are still standing firm. The message is simple: the price hasn’t dropped.
On pure ability, Baleba would instantly raise the ceiling of United’s midfield. He’s 22, athletic, aggressive, and has the tools to become one of the Premier League’s best in his position. The problem is the fee. Paying an extortionate sum for a player who still has plenty to prove is exactly the kind of move United have been hammered for in the past.
Wilcox may rate him highly. Carrick may see the upside. But in the current climate, it’s hard to see United justifying a nine-figure outlay for potential rather than proof.
Alex Scott: the Premier League climber
Alex Scott’s rise has been steady, not explosive, but the trajectory is unmistakable.
At Bournemouth, he became the heartbeat of a side that punched far above its weight, driving them to a remarkable sixth-place finish and a first-ever European qualification. From deep, he dictated tempo, chipped in with four goals, and added two assists – numbers that only tell part of the story of his influence.
Plenty felt he was unlucky to miss out on England’s World Cup squad in North America. His name has been repeatedly linked with Liverpool since Andoni Iraola swapped the Vitality Stadium for Anfield.
United, though, are firmly in the conversation. At 22, Scott fits the profile of the modern Premier League midfielder: technically sharp, tactically flexible, and still improving. Bournemouth know exactly what they have, and they’re in no mood to fold cheaply. Reports suggest they want at least £70m.
That’s the crux for United. Scott’s potential is clear, his recent form impressive, but is he a £70m player right now? Or would they be paying tomorrow’s price for today’s output? In a summer where every pound has to count, that question will define whether they move or walk away.
Andrey Santos: the attainable wildcard
Then there’s Andrey Santos, the name that split United’s online fanbase as soon as it surfaced.
Once billed as a future star of the Selecao after breaking into Vasco da Gama’s first team at just 16 in 2021, his path has not been straightforward. He joined Chelsea in 2023, bounced around, and only began to see meaningful minutes last season under Liam Rosenior.
The most glaring red flag? He didn’t make Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, even with Brazil crying out for more energy and drive in midfield. For supporters dreaming of instant game-changers, that omission is hard to ignore.
Yet within the game, there’s still belief in his talent. Enzo Maresca saw him as a player who could thrive in a deep-lying role, using his range of passing and reading of the game to anchor a midfield. At 22, he remains raw but far from a lost cause.
Crucially, Chelsea are open to selling. No drawn-out saga, no impossible fee. Among all the names linked, Santos might be the most realistic signing United can actually get done in the short term.
He wouldn’t arrive as a saviour. He might, though, arrive as a piece of a longer-term puzzle – and right now, that alone could make him the likeliest new face to walk through the doors at Carrington.
United stand at a familiar crossroads: chase the headline deal, lean into value, or trust that what they already have is enough. The Champions League is back on the schedule. The margin for error is not.
