Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United “immediately” turned down the opportunity to sign a long-term midfield target in January who was “keen on the move” to Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick will have to make do with the squad he has at his disposal for the rest of the season after United decided not to open the chequebook in the transfer January window to bolster his options.

Reports suggest a new midfielder is the club’s top priority and after they made a bold late move in a bid to prise Carlos Baleba away from Brighton in the summer, only to be told he would cost them ￡100m, The Athleticreportthat the Cameroon international is ‘hugely admired’, as is Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, but Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson is?‘considered their first-choice target’.

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The report has listed four potential next transfers for Man Utd, with a second midfielder to be targeted as Manuel Ugarte’s ‘future is uncertain’, while the ‘left-wing could also be looked at’.

The report explains: ‘Each of Nottingham Forest, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace were always unlikely to allow one of their best and most valuable players to leave mid-season, but are expected to be more open to business come the summer.

‘Left-wing could also be looked at. During talks with Antoine Semenyo, the 26-year-old was told he would not play as a wing-back in Amorim’s system but as a left winger in a 4-3-3.’

But Romano has revealed that United were handed the opportunity to sign a new midfielder as former Leicester star Wilfred Ndidi, who was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford when he instead made the switch to Besiktas in the summer of 2024, was ‘offered’ to the Red Devils and was ‘keen on the move.

Romano revealed on the Here We Go podcast: “I can tell you that Wilfred Ndidi, former midfielder from Leicester, now at Besiktas, was offered as an opportunity to Man United.

“A low-cost opportunity, the player was very keen on the move but Man United decided immediately not to proceed.

“They had the chance to do something like a low-cost opportunity but they decided against it.”

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Former United striker Teddy Sheringham believes Wharton is “exactly the type of player United should be buying”.

He said:?“Manchester United need to sign players who are going to make a difference and, for me, Adam Wharton is one of those players.

“He’s broken into the England squad at a young age alongside the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White – these kind of players are there to prove something and make a difference to the sides they feature in.

“Crystal Palace are a weird one in the sense that they probably don’t get as much publicity as they deserve especially after winning the FA Cup last season, so players like Wharton sometimes fly under the radar with their performances. Wharton however is exactly the type of player United should be buying.”