Manchester United fans watched on this this week as reports began emerging that Mateus Fernandes is on the verge of becoming a Tottenham Hotspur player.Having been one of few shining lights in the West Ham United team that was relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, the 21-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, where there is a need for multiple midfield additions this summer.Éderson is expected to complete an initial £35 million ($46.5 million) from Atalanta once his World Cup involvement with Brazil ends. But both a lack of depth last season, the departure of Casemiro as a free agent and long-term injury to Manuel Ugarte means that perhaps two more are still needed.There has been a school of thought that Manchester United will target players at several different price points, equating to different roles and statuses in the squad. Éderson looks set to the middle option, with the club roughly also wanting a more expensive marquee recruit and cheaper cover.Fernandes, who will join Spurs for £85 million ($112.9 million), was towards the top of the scale, as was Elliot Anderson, expected to sign with Manchester City for £116 million ($154 million).Were Man Utd That Serious About Fernandes?Mateus Fernandes will be wearing Tottenham white. | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images, Kristian Skeie/UEFA/Getty ImagesReports on the Fernandes details suggest that the full transfer fee is guaranteed, meaning that is what Spurs are obliged to pay—there are no conditional add-ons. It seems that United were interested, but not that interested, because The Athletic notes that both the transfer fee and the proposed salary “went higher than they were willing to pay.”Tottenham were prepared to go there, but United were not, valuing Fernandes not quite so highly and now moving onto alternative targets instead. It feels like the Red Devils admired Fernandes, but once a potential deal moved out of their ideal parameters, it was no longer worth pursuing.Anderson, although justifiably more expensive given his more established record within the Premier League and as an international player, appears to fall into the same category.In the past, United have spent months wrangling over targets the club felt were priced too expensive—Harry Maguire, Antony, Rasmus Højlund—only to eventually pay the big money anyway. This is now a different strategy from a different set of executives, but will it be successful?Which Alternative Midfield Targets Will Man Utd Pursue?Sandro Tonali is also linked with Tottenham. | Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/Getty ImagesOther options are still on the market. An upswell of speculation linking Sandro Tonali with Tottenham preceded Fernandes moving to the brink of joining Spurs, and you’d argue the likelihood of the Italian following suit and also heading to north London logically has now lessened. That said, the continued noise suggests the money may be there to do both deals.Bruno Guimarães, Tonali’s Newcastle United teammate, is older, more experienced and potentially not quite so expensive. Rumor has it, Casemiro has told Old Trafford executives to consider him.Bournemouth’s price for Alex Scott seems to be going up and up in light of the Anderson and Fernandes deals setting a firm precedent in this summer’s market. The 22-year-old, is reportedly valued by his club at £80 million ($106.2 million).United could also head back to Adam Wharton or Carlos Baleba, both of whom were more heavily linked last summer but haven’t had the kind of club seasons that would create hype.On the cheaper end of the scale could be Bournemouth and the USMNT’s Tyler Adams.READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow