Manchester United's window took a drastic twist on Thursday as it was revealed that United will no longer be signing Ederson from Atalanta. The Reds agreed a deal in June to bring the Brazilian midfielder to Old Trafford, but have now pulled out of the deal following an unsuccessful medical.

United have, however, completed the signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea in a deal worth £50 million.

The 22-year-old midfielder has completed a medical and has reportedly put pen to paper on a contract at Old Trafford valid till June 2031, with the option to extend for a further year. An official announcement is expected very soon.

United are now pressing ahead with their attempts to further strengthen their midfield this summer, with the club expected to sign three midfielders, including Santos, to add sufficient depth to Michael Carrick's midfield following the departure of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte's injury, which is expected to keep him on the sidelines for a prolonged period of time.

United have now reportedly drawn up a three-man midfield shortlist, with the expectation being that United will sign two of those players.

According to Eduardo Burgos, the shortlist includes AS Roma's Manu Koné, Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The report claims that Roma wants to increase their asking price for Koné after the World Cup, with the Frenchman having played an influential role in France's tournament so far.

United see Alex Scott as a young player with very high potential, but he will cost a significant sum of money.

Burgos also reports that Bouaddi is a player that United have been following since the start of the season, and they also tracked his performances at the World Cup closely.

The three names reported to be on United's shortlist are all extremely good players, but the club needs to find the right balance between different profiles.

Following the signing of Santos, United still need a midfielder who can cover a lot of ground out of possession, and Bouaddi suits that profile. That being said, Lille would reportedly want over £80 million to part ways with the Moroccan midfielder this summer, and he probably still needs another year or two in France to develop. 

Kone and Scott are both extremely good players. Koné is best as a no.8, although he can play as a no.6. His ball-carrying ability is so impressive, however, that it feels he would be wasted having to sit deep. Should he be signed, he'd probably be seen as a player to provide competition for Kobbie Mainoo.

Scott is another quality player, but Bournemouth are adamant he is not for sale, and in the event they do sanction a sale, reports claim that they will demand a fee in the region of £80 million.

Given the fact that both Bouaddi and Scott are likely to be unattainable this summer for various reasons, United may revisit a move for Carlos Baleba. The Reds explored a deal to sign the Cameroonian last summer, and while he had a poor season, he is still a player with great potential and has a lot of qualities that United would greatly benefit from.