Manchester United have had a tough start to their midfield rebuild this summer, despite acting quickly to agree a £35 million deal for Atalanta's Ederson.

The club are looking to sign up to three midfielders this summer after Casemiro left the club, and Manuel Ugarte, who was most likely going to be sold, suffered a knee ligament injury that will see him miss most, if not all, of next season.

After quickly starting their rebuild, the club have now hit major roadblocks in their pursuit of a marquee midfield signing. United had identified Elliot Anderson as their top target, but his asking price was outside the club's budget, and Anderson preferred a move to Manchester City.

Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes were also looked at, with reports saying they were pushing hard to make the Fernandes move happen. The club, however, weren't willing to meet West Ham's £85 million asking price, allowing Tottenham Hotspur to come in and sign both Fernandes and Tonali for a combined £185 million.

After missing out on those targets, Manchester United have identified Bournemouth's Alex Scott as the main alternative midfield option, while Carlos Baleba remains linked with the club.

However, the high fees for midfielders in the Premier League have led clubs to increase their asking prices due to the inflated market, meaning United could be better suited to look outside the league to land their midfield signings.

Having already signed one midfielder from the Serie A, United may now look once again to the Italian league to sign Juventus star Khéphren Thuram.

As reported by Tuttosport, Juventus' pursuit of Franck Kessié has opened the door for the club to sell the French midfielder, as the Turin side needs to sell players due to financial constraints.

The outlet reports that Juventus no longer consider the 25-year-old as unsellable, and an offer of around £43 million would be enough to land the French midfielder.

Going into the summer transfer window, INEOS were reportedly targeting one marquee signing in the midfield, as well as adding a further two signings to add key depth to the centre of the park, with Kobbie Mainoo the only senior central or defensive midfielder on the books.

At 6'4", the 25-year-old is a physically imposing box-to-box midfielder, and could prove to be an excellent signing considering both his price tag and age.

Liverpool is also reportedly interested in signing the Frenchman, so it's important that United acts quickly to get this deal over the line and avoid missing out on another potential midfield target.

Michael Carrick needs a midfield with more physicality and control, and the 25-year-old would certainly go a long way in addressing that for a great price.

It's important that United act quickly to identify which midfielders to target and pursue, so as not to miss out on further targets.