Fabrizio Romano insists Man Utd interest in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali “is real and consistent” with Man City “pushing strongly” for Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson.

The Red Devils spent around ￡200m on improving their attack over the summer with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko all joining.

Man Utdhave gone from the being the fifth lowest-scoring side in the Premier League last term to the side with the third most goals this season.

Some fans were frustrated that INEOS failed to improve the midfield, which was one of their biggest weaknesses last term, but Man Utd are now looking to sign at least one midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.

Numerous midfielders have been linked, including Tonali, Anderson and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, and now Man Utd look to have settled on Newcastle’s Tonali as their top target.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “One of the names very high on their shortlist is Sandro Tonali. Tonali has been excellent recently, scoring for Italy against Northern Ireland and performing very well for Newcastle United. Newcastle also expect potential movement around him this summer.

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“It is important to note that Manchester United have already made contact with Tonali’s camp to be informed about his situation. There is still no agreement, no negotiation stage yet, but the interest is real and consistent.

“Tonali appreciates the idea of returning to a bigger European stage if all parties align, so this one will be worth keeping an eye on.

“There is also interest from Arsenal, confirmed, but again nothing advanced there either. For Italian clubs, including Juventus, the deal would be financially almost impossible.

“So as of today, United like Tonali, early contact made, and the midfielder is aware of their interest. It is still early, but expect this to heat up later in the window.”

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Nottingham Forest’s Anderson, as TEAMtalkrevealed recently, is more likely to end up at Man City in the summer and Romano insists Pep Guardiola’s side are “pushing strongly”

Romano added: “As I told you before, Pep Guardiola’s side are pushing strongly for Elliot Anderson, the talented midfielder from Nottingham Forest. Anderson is very high on City’s shortlist.

“They appreciate his versatility, creativity, and intelligence on the ball, but they do not want to disrupt Forest in the middle of their relegation battle, so things are quiet for now.

“Still, City are preparing for this move. And interestingly, Anderson is also admired by Manchester United.

“So as of today, heading into April, this is how it looks: Man Utd are very keen on Tonali, and watching Anderson too. Manchester City are pushing for Anderson, but keeping close tabs on Tonali.

“Both clubs are following the same two players. The battle of the Manchester midfields could be one of the big stories of the summer.

“If this were late July, you might say Tonali to United, Anderson to City, but it is still early. Both sides will review their managerial situations and budgets before going further. Arsenal could also join the conversation later on.”