Manchester United need M. Fee's assistance to negotiate a lower price, but Mendes is unhappy! Ratcliffe won't sign another high-profile midfielder.

Over the past week, Manchester United have encountered a scenario reminiscent of last year, with Tottenham stepping into the transfer for Matheus Fernandes, evoking memories of Mbeumo. Back then, the Cameroonian winger rejected Champions League-qualified Tottenham, determined to join the Red Devils, which became the key to the deal. This time, United hope M. Fee will make the opposite choice—declaring he will only join a United side with Champions League football.

Although Mbeumo only wanted to fulfill his dream at Old Trafford, Manchester United still had to pay Brentford £71 million in transfer fees, higher than their initial psychological price of £65 million. Now United are hoping that if M. Fee insists on joining only the Red Devils, West Ham may have to lower their final asking price.

After De Zerbi guided the team to survival, Tottenham have been quick and frequent in the transfer market, signing three players and also planning to bring in both Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali and M. Fee—two long-term targets of Manchester United. Tottenham have no European qualification for next season, but they still have money.

Tottenham are not only prepared to spend over £85 million in transfer fees to sign Tonali, but also willing to offer him a weekly wage close to £280,000, rare in their club history. The reason behind Tottenham's approach is exactly the same as Manchester United's last summer—to demonstrate their determination to rebuild.

Tottenham's initial offer of £75 million for Tonali was made to show goodwill. Meanwhile, everyone knows that unless there is a release clause, the first bid will always be rejected, so the amount cannot be too low or too high. What attracts Tonali to Tottenham is that life in London is far superior to the remote north of Newcastle, and compatriot De Zerbi's coaching can also give Tonali confidence.

Unlike Tonali, M. Fee's ideal destination is Manchester United—it's no secret that he admires Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes. However, Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes disagrees with him only committing to United, as that would be disadvantageous for negotiations and make it harder to secure better signing fees.

Moreover, if M. Fee limits himself to United, he could be in a passive position if the two clubs fail to reach an agreement. Therefore, Mendes' suggestion is certainly to engage with all interested parties simultaneously, ideally reaching agreements with everyone to broaden his options. Mendes previously facilitated Leny Yoro's transfer to Manchester United—at that time, the French center-back favored Real Madrid, but ultimately chose to join United from Lille because the Red Devils offered the most money.

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed: "As far as I know, Tottenham are in negotiations with M. Fee's agent Mendes. They are working hard to reach an agreement with the player, but there is no guarantee yet, and nothing is finalized. Next, we will see more dialogue between Tottenham and Manchester United. Don't forget that United are going all out to push this deal through. Manchester United are actively communicating with West Ham at the club level, while also negotiating with the player's agent. So, United remain the frontrunners in this deal."

Romano also predicted that Real Madrid might join the race under certain conditions, so the transfer situation still has variables. This means Manchester United may have to enter a bidding war. Romano explained: "We must keep a close eye on M. Fee because, in this type of deal, whoever presents the best offer to West Ham—their asking price is £85 million, and they expect more, believing that more clubs are joining the competition every day—whoever pays the most is most likely to land the player."

After former owner David Sullivan stepped down, West Ham's actual owner, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, is determined to avoid a mass exodus of players this summer. He believes selling M. Fee at a high price will allow the club to retain others, especially captain Jarrod Bowen. Romano concluded: "That's the feeling around this story, and perhaps the key to understanding M. Fee's future direction. This is a deal very, very worth watching."

Manchester United are currently holding off on any bids for a reason—the club believes West Ham need to raise funds this month to balance their books and avoid breaching Championship financial rules. West Ham posted a loss of £104 million last year, and their financial report clearly states that even without relegation, they must sell players.

However, if Manchester United want to sign M. Fee at a lower price within June, two major conditions must be met: first, the player must be eager to join; second, there must be no other clubs bidding. Otherwise, West Ham's desire to drive up the price will be fulfilled. For example, if Tottenham also convince M. Fee to agree on personal terms and make an offer to West Ham—reportedly they are willing to pay £70 million—then United would have to match that amount.

Manchester United are still working hard to push through the M. Fee deal and remain the top favorite to sign him. However, if competition arises, completing the transfer under the conditions demanded by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be difficult. The Red Devils have already given up on signing Elliot Anderson because Nottingham Forest's asking price was too high. M. Fee could become United's top midfield signing of the summer window; after signing him, the chances of buying another high-profile player are slim. If they later sell Ugarte, United might sign another new midfielder, but it would be a more cost-effective, lower-profile option rather than a big-name star.

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated that Ratcliffe's team admires Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni, but the French defensive midfielder is unlikely to transfer. "There is no doubt that Manchester United love and dream of getting Tchouaméni. I can guarantee they admire him greatly and believe he would be perfect. But at the same time, from a transfer fee perspective, the reality depends on Real Madrid. They have not opened the door to a transfer yet. The salary issue is the same."