However, once Spurs made their interest in Fernandes known, West Ham, under new direction through co-chair Daniel Kretinsky, were able to stick to a valuation in excess of £80m.
United would have been willing to pay £85m – albeit including add-ons – but ultimately felt if they had offered that sum, Spurs would have immediately gone to £90m. It is this kind of situation they are keen to avoid.
United have agreed a £35m deal with Serie A outfit Atalanta for Ederson but his late call-up to the Brazil squad means his medical will not happen until Carlo Ancelotti’s side are out of the competition. As with all United’s World Cup players, he will then get a minimum of three weeks off.
It means, unless the position changes, the only midfielder among boss Michael Carrick’s senior group when they return for testing and the pre-season training on 9 July will be Mason Mount, who is viewed as more of an offensive player.
On 18 July, the day before the World Cup final, United play their first friendly fixture, against Wrexham in Helsinki.
Of the eight first-team midfielders listed on United’s website, in addition to Mount, Carrick’s options will be Toby Collyer – who is wanted by Hull – Dan Gore, who spent last season on loan at Rotherham, who were relegated from League One, and twins Jack and Tyler Fletcher. The rest are all still on World Cup duty. Tyler Fletcher was a surprise call-up to Scotland’s squad after impressing in the build-up, but did not play.
United’s Premier League 2 skipper Jacob Devaney impressed in a central midfield role for Scottish Premiership outfit St Mirren in the second half of last season. Jack Moorhouse, who made 14 appearances on loan for Leyton Orient in the first half of the campaign, Jayce Fitzgerald, Sekou Kone and Jim Thwaites are other central midfielders in United’s academy.
With a match against Norwegian side Rosenborg to follow on 24 July, United’s younger players have a chance to impress Carrick.
But it is fair to assume once United hit a run of high-profile pre-season matches, starting with Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on 1 August, Carrick will expect to have had the midfield situation addressed.