Man United Prepare Bid for Chelsea's Andrey Santos, Rashford to Decide Future After World Cup

Manchester United are stepping up their midfield rebuild and are preparing to make a formal offer for Chelsea's Brazilian prospect Andrey Santos, according to The media. The Red Devils are determined to add at least two new faces in the center of the park this summer, even with Ederson close to arriving from Atalanta. Santos, valued at around €58.3 million (£50m) by Chelsea, has emerged as a prime target after United missed out on Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes. While the Blues are not actively pushing to sell the 21-year-old, sources suggest a substantial bid could change their stance. Meanwhile, Lille president Olivier Letang has pushed back against reports that the French club have already set an asking price for midfield prodigy Ayyoub Bouaddi. United are among the clubs tracking the 18-year-old, who has impressed at the ongoing World Cup with Morocco. Speaking to Eurosport, Letang said: 'How to answer this question... I spoke, mentioned Bouaddi, [and] gave a figure? No, never. You have to look at his level. [There are] many players like Anderson or Tonali who are much older (23 and 26 respectively) but with no room for progress, so you have an idea of the value of Ayyoub, who has a unique profile at only 18 years old.' In other news, Bournemouth have issued a firm hands-off warning regarding Alex Scott. insider sources report that United admire the midfielder, who helped the Cherries secure Europa League football with a sixth-place Premier League finish. However, talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs understands the south coast club have no intention of selling the €93m-rated (£80m) star and are pushing for him to sign a new contract. On the attacking front, Marcus Rashford will not rush a decision on his Manchester United future until after the World Cup. The England forward spent last season on loan at Barcelona, who decided against triggering a €30m (£26m) purchase option. insider reported: 'Rashford spoke ahead of England's game against Mexico and made it clear that if anybody wanted a decision from him on a transfer, they had to make it happen before the World Cup. During the World Cup he is not going to entertain any negotiations. He wants to focus on the pitch.'