Tottenham spends £100 million on Tonali, blocking Manchester United's path to bargain signings! Five midfield targets are expected to increase in price.

Within 24 hours, Tottenham secured both Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, while Manchester United announced the signing of... a female footballer! According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Tonali's transfer fee is £92.5 million fixed, plus £7.5 million in add-ons, totaling £100 million, breaking the club record of £85 million set by Fernandes just a day earlier.

Transfer expert Ben Jacobs explained: "Roberto De Zerbi was key to the Tonali deal; the player wanted to play for his fellow Italian, which drove the transfer. Tonali told De Zerbi he wanted to join, and then Tottenham pushed hard to complete this statement signing. Within 24 hours, Tottenham secured Fernandes and Tonali for a total of £185 million. Tottenham always intended to get both."

Tottenham was determined to get both, while Manchester United insisted on making choices. Sir Jim Ratcliffe was unwilling to pay more than £70 million in fixed fees and hoped the player would declare his desire to play only for the Red Devils. Sporting director Jason Wilcox ultimately made a verbal offer of £70 million fixed plus £15 million in add-ons for Fernandes.

The BBC reported that Manchester United already knew they had lost the race for Fernandes because Tottenham convinced the player and his agent Jorge Mendes to agree to the move; the North London club was unstoppable. Even if United had agreed to pay £85 million, Tottenham would have raised their offer to £90 million. United wanted Fernandes but refused to get into a bidding war—this was Ratcliffe's stance this summer.

Elliot Anderson and Fernandes were both midfield targets for Manchester United, but the obstacle was their transfer fees. United had already indicated they wouldn't pay £100 million for Anderson, knowing he favored Manchester City, and foresaw that signing him from Nottingham Forest would cost nearly £120 million. United believed they could force West Ham to lower their asking price for Fernandes, but Tottenham intervened. Within a week, the club missed out on two priority targets set before the summer window opened.

Manchester United believes their strategy is sound and correct, citing last summer's "successful signings" as evidence. However, British media told the Red Devils that their success is only relative to themselves; the market has changed this summer, and using last year's tactics may yield nothing.

The Red Devils' transfers are once again lagging behind. It's already July, and the contracts of Casemiro, Sancho, and Tyrell Malacia have officially expired. United has not sold any players yet; Hojlund's €44 million permanent move to Napoli was a deal from last year; Andre Onana's loan was extended, with Trabzonspor having no buy option and only covering part of his £120,000 weekly wage, not all.

Ederson has definitely joined Manchester United, but the announcement hasn't been made yet. He won't be available until at least July 5th, after Brazil's World Cup round-of-16 match against Norway, and only if Ancelotti's team is eliminated by Erling Haaland and his Norwegian teammates. United needs at least one, ideally two, new midfielders. After missing out on Fernandes, the club is evaluating new top targets.

Not spending £85 million on Fernandes is considered a reasonable decision. The Manchester Evening News stated that as a player with only one Portugal cap, not included in the World Cup squad, and having been relegated from the Premier League two consecutive seasons, Fernandes doesn't deserve that price. He has potential but hasn't reached a level where he transforms a team—otherwise, Southampton and West Ham wouldn't have been relegated.

Manchester United has clear valuation criteria for players and is unwilling to easily change them, which is commendable. However, acquiring ideal players this summer may be unrealistic because the transfers of Anderson, Fernandes, and Tonali will disrupt the transfer market order.

Nottingham Forest used Chelsea's £115 million purchase of Moises Caicedo as a benchmark for Anderson's price, while West Ham used Arsenal's £105 million signing of Declan Rice as a reference. Now, these transactions will become selling points for Bournemouth, Brighton, Borussia Dortmund, or Real Madrid.

If Manchester United now expresses interest in Bournemouth's Alex Scott or contacts Brighton again to sign Carlos Baleba, they will almost certainly find those players' valuations have increased. That's the current state of the transfer market.

Manchester United wants to stick to their principles and not let other clubs arbitrarily set prices. Unfortunately, everyone knows the Red Devils need midfielders—any club that doesn't raise their price would have their transfer director questioned! Signing a cost-effective, quality midfielder at a price United deems reasonable, according to British media, is now like searching for a unicorn—it simply doesn't exist.

The Manchester Evening News believes that one of Manchester United's biggest transfer mistakes in recent years was not signing Declan Rice before he joined Arsenal. United had followed Rice for years, and he was willing to join, but the club felt he was too expensive and ultimately didn't make a move.

BBC's Simon Stone says that United's current consideration list includes, besides the 22-year-old Scott and Baleba, Bournemouth's other defensive midfielder and US World Cup captain Tyler Adams, Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha, and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni. There may be other names under consideration.

However, none of these players are easy to get, and not just because of the price. Arsenal has already inquired about Scott, and Bournemouth said they won't sell. Wilcox is familiar with Nmecha from their time at Manchester City, but Dortmund wants €120 million. Tchouameni has no intention of leaving Real Madrid, let alone taking a pay cut or a reduced transfer fee to join United. Marca reported that Real Madrid has recommended Eduardo Camavinga to Manchester City; if they sell him, Mourinho's team would no longer consider selling Tchouameni.

It is said that Manchester United's club executives remain very calm, and they are right: there are still seven weeks until the first Premier League match against Hull City, and nearly nine weeks until the summer transfer window closes. "We will sign new players," is the clear promise from the Red Devils' management. They also emphasize that players should be judged by performance, not by name recognition.

However, whether this is enough to appease hundreds of millions of United fans worldwide is another question. Supporters, hopeful after Carrick's unexpected Champions League qualification last season, are eagerly awaiting new arrivals. The Athletic's summary is spot-on: United can abandon some transfer plans, but the midfield gap must be filled. If they eventually land a quality new player like Tchouameni, fans will forget the Fernandes saga. If the midfield isn't strengthened, their transfer strategy will ultimately face scrutiny.