Manchester United have been priced out of a move for England midfielder Alex Scott after Bournemouth set an asking price in excess of £70m – a figure that leaves Arsenal as the frontrunners for the 22-year-old, though the player himself harbours doubts about game time at the Emirates.
United valued Scott in the £40m bracket, reasoning that he has still to win his first full England cap and has not played in the Champions League. But the Cherries, who secured European football last season with Scott instrumental in midfield, are holding out for more than £70m for one of their prize assets. United are not prepared to enter a bidding war and will continue to look at alternative targets, having already strengthened midfield with the signings of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in recent weeks.
“Manchester United pull out of Alex Scott race after Bournemouth demand £70m, leaving Arsenal as favourites but Scott has game-time concerns.”
Scott is said to favour a move to the Emirates, but is worried about how much game time he would get for Mikel Arteta's English champions. His representatives have held talks with several clubs, and he will make a decision on his future in the next fortnight. The England Under-21 international was named in Thomas Tuchel's squad for games against Serbia and Albania last season, though he did not make an appearance, and was later asked to join the preparation camp in Florida ahead of the World Cup.
Elsewhere in the transfer market, Liverpool are confident of beating Arsenal and Bayern Munich to the signature of Paris St-Germain forward Bradley Barcola. The 23-year-old impressed with four goal contributions at the World Cup with France this summer, and the Anfield club believe they can secure his services.
At Manchester United, Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes, 31, has decided to commit his future to the club, with talks around a new deal ongoing. United are also exploring a move for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 23, who missed out on a place in France's World Cup squad this summer.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are not ruling out the sale of captain Martin Odegaard, 27, and will listen to offers for the Norway midfielder. The north London club are also edging the battle with United for Bournemouth's Scott – though that pursuit is complicated by Scott's concerns about playing time and Bournemouth's steep valuation.
Other moves in the pipeline include Fulham opening negotiations with Real Madrid over highly-rated striker Gonzalo Garcia, 22; West Ham eyeing Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate, 28, after he asked to leave the Scottish champions; and Besiktas trying to sign Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock, 26, who is in the final year of his contract and will not be offered a new deal. Roma have asked about Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi, 28, with the Blues setting an asking price of around £17m for the Frenchman.
Watford have rejected two bids of £10m for Australian forward Nestory Irankunda from Sporting and Celta Vigo, and have also bought back 10% of the 20-year-old's sell-on clause from Bayern Munich. Middlesbrough are considering a move for Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips, 21, who spent last season on loan at Stoke City. Dutch side Ajax have joined the clubs interested in wantaway Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, 25.