INEOS readying club record Man Utd bid to sign the next Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United are set to undergo a significant change in midfield over the next few months.

It was confirmed earlier in the week that Casemiro will depart Old Trafford at the end of his contract in the summer, the first of what could be a few changes for the Red Devils.

The Mail have already reported that there could be plenty of new faces in midfield for United, suggesting as many as four could join the club. Indeed, Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson have been named as key INEOS targets to go alongside Kobbie Mainoo, who seems set to stay now that Ruben Amorim has left.

Something that will be fascinating to see is Bruno Fernandes’ future, but United could also be eyeing up his replacement.

Man Utd readying club-record offer

After coming close to leaving last summer, it seems United captain Fernandes remains a target for clubs in Saudi Arabia. There are said to be three clubs interested in acquiring his services this summer.

That would be a blow for United, but INEOS might have a perfect replacement in the offing.

According to reports in Spain, they have ‘identified’ Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer as their ‘top target,’ with United said to be ‘prepared to make an unprecedented financial effort’ to sign him.

Indeed, it will come as no surprise that this would not be a cheap deal to do. Chelsea are set to demand upwards of £104m to sign him, which would be a club record fee for United, eclipsing the £89m dished out on Paul Pogba in 2016.

The Blues star ‘feels a deep longing for his hometown and wants to return to the north of England.’ United, of course, tick that box.

What Palmer will bring to United

It might sound obvious to say, but Palmer would enhance United’s attack greatly. Although he’s struggled with injuries this term, he’s one of the best players in the Premier League, described as a “world-class” operator by Jamie Carragher last season.

This term has been very stop-start for the England international. He’s only played 13 times across all competitions, scoring five goals.

Across the campaign, he’s been sidelined with injury for 17 games and has not been able to get into much rhythm.

But let’s not doubt his quality for a minute. The Wythenshawe-born star already has 48 Chelsea goals and 29 assists in 110 games for the West Londoners.

His first Premier League campaign for the club saw him score and assist 33 goals in as many games.

If United are going to lose Fernandes, then his replacement is going to need to be of Palmer’s quality.

Forgetting his leadership for a second, the Portuguese star has the extraordinary record of 103 goals and 96 assists in 311 games for the Old Trafford club.

It is perhaps a testament to Palmer that his best season, 2023/24, is actually higher in terms of goals and assists than Fernandes’ best.

The Portugal international scored and assisted 29 times in the 2020/21 Premier League. He’s always maintained the levels he showed in his first season, when he grabbed 20 goals and assists in 22 games across all competitions.

Indeed, the stats from their respective best seasons show that Palmer can indeed be a perfect Fernandes replacement.

For example, in 2023/24, the Englishman averaged 1.2 goals and assists and created 2.3 chances per 90 minutes, compared to United’s captain, who, back in 2020/21, scored and assisted 1 goal per game on average and created 2.7 chances.

Whenever the time comes, it is going to be hard to replace Fernandes. But, in signing Palmer, they would surely have found someone who is just like their talismanic number eight. The stats certainly back up that theory.

£104m is a huge amount of money, but it is surely worth it to ensure the level of quality in the number ten role that we’ve seen since Fernandes’ debut is maintained.

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