Real Madrid enquire about transfer for Scott McTominay

Manchester United spent heavily on their midfield this summer, with Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans arriving for well over £150 million combined.

Baleba, the £70 million centrepiece, has only just returned to action in a behind-closed-doors friendly after the ankle problem he arrived with.

Kobbie Mainoo has been the standout, winning the club’s Player of the Month award for September in a landslide.

Even so, United have collected only five points from five league games, with the balance of that midfield still a work in progress.

It is a long way from the days when one homegrown midfielder could be relied on for energy, physicality and a steady supply of important goals.

Real Madrid enquire about transfer for Scott McTominay

Scott McTominay’s future is once again the talking point at Napoli, with Real Madrid making an enquiry and the Premier League watching closely.

Tuttomercatoweb report that Madrid have sounded out his entourage, as contract talks between the midfielder and Napoli remain stuck.

A move would reunite him with Jose Mourinho, who gave him his Champions League debut as a substitute against Benfica in October 2017.

Mourinho handed him his first start of that season six days later in the 2-0 EFL Cup win at Swansea, with a new United contract signed in between.

McTominay’s Napoli deal runs until June 2028, but his camp are reportedly asking for around £6.8 million a year, while president Aurelio De Laurentiis is said not to view a renewal as a priority.

He turns 30 in December, and Napoli, who paid around £25 million to sign him from United in 2024, are reportedly open to offers of between £21 million and £25 million.

Aston Villa are also said to be monitoring him, while United reportedly made an enquiry during the summer.

On the pitch, he has played just twice this season, in a 2-0 win over Genoa and a 2-1 defeat at Como, where he went off after 56 minutes before a heart issue was detected.

He underwent a corrective ablation for a mild benign arrhythmia at the Spire Manchester Hospital last month, and the procedure was declared a success.

Napoli confirmed on Wednesday, “Scott McTominay underwent further diagnostic tests, which showed that he is fit to play.”

He has resumed training with the group ahead of the weekend’s clash with Frosinone.

Since the start of 2024/25 season, no midfielder in Serie A has scored more than his 22 league goals, which explains why the interest is not fading.

Whether Napoli can find a compromise before January may decide if a reunion with Mourinho becomes realistic.