Man Utd dealt potential transfer blow as £40m targets agent spotted at Champions League club

Manchester United's chances of signing one of Michael Carrick's key targets have been dealt a huge blow.

United's transfer business has sprung into life in recent days, confirming the £48million signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea on Monday.

The capture of Santos was officially announced by the club shortly after it was revealed that Man United are 'set to finalise' a deal for Aston Villa playmaker Youri Tielemans.

The 20-time Premier League champions have triggered the £35m release clause in the Belgian's contract before he completed a medical on Tuesday ahead of signing a five-year contract at Old Trafford.

Carrick will be delighted to finally get two new midfielders through the door, and a third player for his engine room could soon follow.

Man United are heavily linked with Roma's Manu Kone, while Wolves star Joao Gomes is also on their radar, as the Red Devils look to complement the technical qualities of Tielemans and Santos.

Away from their pursuit of midfielders, meanwhile, INEOS are in the market for a new left winger to potentially challenge Matheus Cunha, and West Ham's Crysencio Summerville emerged as an option.

Summerville, who has a reported release clause of £40m in his contract after West Ham initially demanded £70m for him, is United's top target in that department.

However, their chances of landing the 24-year-old have been dealt a potential blow, with Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio revealing that Summerville's agents have been spotted in Rome after Serie A side Roma reignited their interest in his signature.

The former Leeds United dynamo is represented by The Team, the same agency as Real Madrid's Fede Valverde, Newcastle United's Lewis Hall and Liverpool's Curtis Jones.

Di Marzio states that Summerville's agents will 'most likely' meet with Roma regarding a transfer for West Ham's No.7, who recorded 15 goal involvements in all competitions last term.

Crysencio Summerville has 'unstoppable' trait that would help Man United

Man United will be keen to prevent their top target from securing a transfer to Italy, and triggering his release clause would certainly give West Ham a decision to make.

The Hammers are willing to accept an agreement for Summerville in installments, so they avoid receiving a one-off payment of £40m.

Summerville's release clause has effectively set the market for the winger instead of acting as a fixed price, and this gives interested clubs flexibility over how a deal is structured.

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Should United move forward with a transfer for the Dutchman, they would be getting one of last season's most dangerous players.

As per FotMob, he ranked in the top five per cent of Premier League players in 2025/26 for fouls drawn per 90 and the top 20% for successful dribbles, evincing his incredible ball-carrying talents.

Summerville was arguably the division's standout winger in one-vs-one situations, utilising his electric pace and low centre of gravity to give defenders nightmares.

This is a trait Carrick would love to add to his already dangerous forward line, with Nuno Espirito Santo lauding him as 'unstoppable'.

“We knew that [we might need him], especially after we thought we might go to extra time,” Nuno said in February. “There were tired legs and we needed energy. Summerville helped us a lot.

“He’s doing a good job. He’s in a good moment. Forward players need this confidence, and he has that one-v-one [ability]. When he can use it in [these kinds of] spaces, he’s almost unstoppable.”