Report: Tchouaméni demands £350k weekly wages to transfer! Manchester United still pursuing Scott, who has rejected a new contract.

Per "The Athletic," Alex Scott has rejected Bournemouth's new contract proposal. The team has maintained that the 22-year-old English midfielder is "non-transferable," yet Manchester United are said to have not given up on the pursuit and might push hard to land him.

According to The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell, if he had the freedom to choose, Scott would favor Manchester over Liverpool. Although Bournemouth's former manager Andoni Iraola has become Liverpool's new head coach, Scott's priority is to join Manchester City or Manchester United.

Scott was a Tottenham fan as a child, but the north London side has already signed Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, so they won't be buying another midfielder. Manchester City and Arsenal are both monitoring Scott, but currently remain inactive and have no intention of negotiating. Among them, Manchester City's primary target is 18-year-old Moroccan talent Ayub Bouadi from Lille in Ligue 1. Therefore, Scott is interested in transferring to Manchester United to be part of Carrick's revival of the Red Devils.

Whitwell mentioned Manchester United's current midfield transfer targets: "Tchouaméni is obviously an elite player who could spark the whole team's passion. Scott is also one of the candidates United are considering. However, I'm not sure if the cost of this deal will be higher than initially expected, because Bournemouth insist they won't sell. He has two years left on his contract, and the club is trying to get him to sign a new deal with a release clause—if they were going to sell this summer, why do that? As for Carlos Baleba, I don't know whether United will reconsider his potential arrival under the current circumstances."

The Sun's Manchester United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst reports that although Sir Jim Ratcliffe's team is unwilling to pay the £80 million asking price, they have not ruled out signing Scott. After missing out on M. Fernandes, Scott is the Red Devils' top Premier League target.

As is well known, Anderson's £116 million transfer to Manchester City, M. Fernandes's £85 million move, and Tonali's £100 million switch to Tottenham have driven up the valuation of midfield stars among Premier League clubs. Even without a new contract, Scott still has two years remaining on his deal at the Vitality Stadium. He holds English "homegrown" status, and despite being left off England's 26-man World Cup squad, that doesn't stop Bournemouth from demanding a club-record transfer fee.

Scott's contract with Bournemouth contains a £75 million release clause, indicating they are willing to sell—but not this year. The "Cherries" are more inclined to offload their American international Tyler Adams this summer, with a price tag of £40-50 million.

However, Manchester United favor Scott. This is partly due to age—Adams will turn 28 next season, while Ratcliffe prefers United to sign players aged 22 to 26. Scott is 22 years old and will turn 23 next month. United's previous primary targets, Anderson (23) and M. Fernandes (just turned 22), also fit this age bracket.

Manchester United's top continental target is Real Madrid's Tchouaméni. The 26-year-old French defensive midfielder also falls within the age range. However, Spanish media claim José Mourinho wants to keep Tchouaméni, while Luckhurst reports that Tchouaméni's wage demands are on par with Casemiro's from back then. In 2022, "Fat Tiger" moved from the Bernabéu to Old Trafford, receiving a weekly salary of £350,000 from United.

Ratcliffe aims to cut wage spending and control United's salary structure, so they are trying to negotiate a pay cut for Tchouaméni during talks—a plan that is nearly impossible to achieve. This means signing Tchouaméni currently remains "a dream."

In terms of salary, Scott's situation better aligns with Ratcliffe's standards. His current weekly wage at Bournemouth is only £50,000, with a base salary of £40,000. Therefore, United can easily attract him with a weekly wage of £150,000, and personal terms are not an issue. The only obstacle is Bournemouth's stance and asking price.