INEOS are willing to pay a club record £100m fee to sign Man Utd’s new Fernandes

Manchester United are struggling under the management of Michael Carrick, although INEOS will be hoping to lead the club to greater heights next season.

Whether the next phase of the Old Trafford process will happen when the interim manager is given the permanent job remains to be seen, however, with Roberto De Zerbi keen to take over the job this summer.

Clarity will be needed before the transfer window opens, of course, with a cohesive, single-minded strategy essential to closing the gap between Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the English ladder.

And, without a shadow of a doubt, the Red Devils must continue to build around Bruno Fernandes.

Man Utd want to sign new Bruno Fernandes

Last summer, Saudi suitors swooped in to sign Fernandes, with the Portuguese international speaking afterwards of his regret that the club had urged him to take a significant pay packet.

Fernandes, 31 and United’s captain, feels he has a lot to offer at Old Trafford, as he is determined to lift the Premier League or Champions League.

It’s clear that money isn’t everything, and that United have benefited greatly by keeping the 31-year-old on their books, with his performances throughout the campaign surely putting him in position to win the PFA Player of the Year Award in a few months’ time.

But Fernandes won’t be around forever, and director Jason Wilcox appears to be studying for the billing of Prem’s proven successor.

According to Football Insider, Manchester United are interested in signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, and they seem unfazed by the Villans’ £100m asking price for the Englishman.

Rogers, 23, is one of the sharpest midfielders in the Premier League, and while he is yet to hit his prime, Old Trafford pundits believe he could grow into the next Fernandes, should he move to Manchester.

Arsenal, Chelsea, and Real Madrid are all interested in his signature.

Why Man United want Morgan Rogers

If Manchester United want to sign Rogers this summer, they will have to break their transfer record to land him, but his performances in Unai Emery’s system over the past few years underline the importance of landing a rising star.

Since the start of last season, this Three Lions player has scored 24 goals and 23 assists in all competitions, and analysts have started to suggest that he is one of the best in the Premier League.

Would it be good to break the bank with this attacker? Fernandes is still firing on all cylinders, but he is no longer a spring chicken, and it is worth remembering that he was 25 when he arrived in England, older than Rogers is now.

Rogers isn’t exactly out of Man United’s captaincy, but he’s not exactly consistent in coming up with goals and assists, and a host of different weapons besides. Athlete Jacob Tanswell even called him a “machine” “made of bricks”.

Fernandes’ assist volume is almost a beggar’s belief, and he may break a seemingly unbreakable record this season. Rogers would not bring the same kind of quality to the Theater of Dreams next season, but his movement and trickery and direction could give the club a different kind of threat.

All the while, he was reaping the rewards of Fernandes’ talent.

In December, Jamie Carragher of Sky Sports said he “looks like one of the best players in the Premier League”, and his growth as a player certainly proves the argument. Perhaps the biggest fear is that he still has a lot of development to do, but if INEOS gets him this year, they won’t be the ones to fear.

Fernandes is almost irreplaceable; he is so beautiful. However, Rogers’ athleticism and power will add a lot to a United side that already has dangerous mavericks in the wings in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. And that’s without considering the development Benjamin Sesko might make in the next year or so.

Villa’s number ten is the real deal, and while it would be unrealistic to expect him to match Bruno’s exit from Old Trafford, even with such a huge transfer fee attached, he would add so much and help transform and consolidate a team looking to return to the very top of their game.

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