Manchester United's summer transfer business continues to face scrutiny, with fresh reports suggesting that Andrey Santos should have cost half the £50million agreed with Chelsea. The Brazilian was one of three midfielders to arrive at Old Trafford ahead of the 2026/27 season, alongside Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.
Fee questioned by Chelsea sources
According to The Athletic, sources close to the Blues believe Santos was worth only half the £50million they received for his departure. Their assessment indicates that, for United, the spending reflected a market where prices had soared, and the acquisitions were considered crucial for bolstering squad depth.
Santos joined Chelsea in January 2023 but managed only 47 senior outings before his July move to United. The 22-year-old had not featured regularly until the injury suffered by Kobbie Mainoo, but he has looked out of place in United's midfield.
Other midfield targets moved elsewhere
Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes were among other Premier League midfielders linked with United who ended up elsewhere. The latter pair both moved to Tottenham for a combined £185m, while Anderson's switch from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City set a new transfer record for an English player at £116m — albeit until Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea.
United lacked the financial muscle to spend such sums on a single player, with a return to the Champions League likely influencing the decision to prioritise quantity over quality.
Midfield pairing concerns
Kobbie Mainoo has remained as Carrick's go-to choice in the middle of the park and is expected to partner Santos against Aston Villa on Sunday. It is already evident that pairing him with Tielemans in midfield is not effective, while Baleba looks set to be sidelined through injury.
Speaking on the latter after he was helped off earlier this week, Carrick said: "I haven't got any more news on Carlos at this stage, but it's his hamstring. We'll have to assess what that looks like, but initially, it doesn't look great."
Carrick retains the option of deploying Tielemans in a more advanced midfield position to compensate for his limitations in terms of pace and mobility when operating deeper. This tactical shift has resulted in Bruno Fernandes being pushed out wide to the right before ultimately being left out of the starting XI completely.
Fernandes has since been restored to the first team for recent fixtures against Chelsea and Roma, netting his first goal since early September in the latter encounter. He also delivered the cross that set up Matheus Cunha's first goal, while Shea Lacey provided the assist for his match-winner.
After an impressive substitute appearance, there are growing demands for the young United talent to be handed a starting berth ahead of Amad, who has registered just one assist since his comeback from injury last month.
