£50m Nottingham Forest midfielder eyed by Manchester United

Manchester United’s primary objective between now and the end of the 2025/26 season is pretty clear: anything other than securing Champions League football would be deemed a failure.

Michael Carrick has taken interim charge of the Red Devils ever since Ruben Amorim was sacked after a hodgepodge 14 months in charge – and things under the former midfielder have been rather smooth.

Other than his side’s most recent outing, a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United and the first of his spell in the dugout, Carrick had managed to get a tune out of his players.

Wins over rivals Manchester City, table toppers Arsenal and relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur all lifted the mood after things turned sour towards the end of Amorim’s tenure.

Under the guidance of Carrick, there have been a whole host of players who have begun to fire on all cylinders – Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko are all prime examples.

As long as those triumvirate of stars continue to produce the same form they have done recently, United have as good a chance as any to finish in third place ahead of Aston Villa and Chelsea.

But despite things looking rosier, that’s not to say that United’s decision-makers – most notably Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS-led team – are looking to slow down on the recruitment front.

What with Casemiro confirmed as leaving in the summer months, Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United has been eyed as a potential replacement for the seasoned Brazilian.

Real Madrid, though, have entered the race for the Magpies midfielder and CaughtOffside have claimed that Ibrahim Sangare – who is currently on the books of Nottingham Forest – is instead one of the names on United’s list for this summer.

As the club plan for a post-Casemiro midfield, Sangare has found his way onto the club’s midfield shortlist after impressing at the City Ground with ‘his physical strength and tactical awareness’.

Sources close to the situation have insisted that club scouts have been impressed with the rangy Ivorian’s dominance in duels and composure under pressure in the engine room.

Ibrahim Sangare has been a player of interest to the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the past – but CaughtOffside’s report have named the likes of Aston Villa and West Ham United as two teams currently keeping tabs on the 28-year-old.

His current employers, who signed him from PSV Eindhoven back in 2023, are looking to pocket a higher fee than what they shelled out for his signature three years ago.

Any transfer talk is expected to focus on a transfer around the €45–50 million mark given that Sangare – alongside the likes of Elliot Anderson and Murillo – is one of the club’s most important players.

The fact that West Ham and Villa are interested, combined with him being contracted until 2028, could cause United problems if they decide to table a bid and try to sign the midfielder.