Rio Ferdinand urges Man Utd to sign £70m World Cup star after Elliot Anderson agreement with Man City

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United must be ‘first at the door’ trying to sign Aurelien Tchouameni after missing out on a deal for Elliot Anderson.

United have made it a priority to improve their options in midfield this summer and have already agreed a deal to sign Brazil international Ederson for £35 million from Atalanta.

Michael Carrick is keen to add another midfielder to his squad ahead of the new season, with Anderson and Mateus Fernandes two players the club are interested in.

However, the Red Devils are poised to lose out in the race to sign Anderson, with the England international expected to move to Manchester City after their £116million bid was accepted by Nottingham Forest.

United’s pursuit of Fernandes could also fall short, with Tottenham said to be confident that they can win the race to sign the West Ham midfielder.

And should the Red Devils miss out on both targets, Ferdinand believes his former side should turn all their focus towards signing Real Madrid star Tchouameni.

The 26-year-old, who started for France in their World Cup opener against Senegal, has been a key player for Real but faces an uncertain future after a high-profile fight with Federico Valverde last season.

Recent reports suggest that Real are considering selling the Frenchman for £70m to help fund new signings for Jose Mourinho, and Ferdinand is confident that Tchouameni would be the perfect replacement for Casemiro.

‘My biggest thing about it (Mourinho going to Real Madrid) is are United going to get Tchouameni?’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

‘Because I keep seeing that talked about, and he’d be one of the first midfielders on my list if we had a possibility of getting someone to go in there to replace Casemiro. Tchouameni would be that guy.

‘Do you know what? I know I’ve been sitting here saying that Jose is going to be the man to reintegrate Tchouameni and Valverde together and keep them at Real Madrid.

‘But I’ve got to say, if Tchouameni has a half a sniff of getting out of that club, Man Utd have to be the first team at the door knocking and make sure he can’t even talk to anybody else. Get him signed, sealed, delivered.’

Ferdinand even issued a personal plea to Tchouameni, adding: ‘I know we’ve had a few conversations in private, but man, I know you watch the show.

‘Looking down the lens right now at you, there’s only one club for you, man. If you’re looking to leave Real Madrid, we are the club.

‘Man Utd are the club. If you want to make it happen, make the call. That’s what I’ll do.’

Elsewhere, United are also interested in Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, who is valued at £60m, while the club are said to have also considered a move for Sandro Tonali.

And speaking exclusively to Metro, former Red Devils defender Gary Pallister believes the Italian midfielder would be ‘ideal’ for Carrick’s side.

‘Tonali would be an ideal signing. He’s a player you can see doing well for Manchester United but it will be difficult to prise him away from Newcastle.

‘Arsenal and Tottenham both want him but I have a suspicion that United could still get it over the line. He is a proven Premier League player and that counts for a lot.

‘We saw that last season when United signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, whereas Benjamin Sesko who came across from the Bundesliga still has a lot to prove but he’s learning and getting better.

‘I’m sure Michael Carrick will have a wish list that he’s given to the Old Trafford chiefs. It’s a case of what the club can do and which players they can attract and which players they can offload.’

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