Man United transfer priority could be solved by wildcard £17m signing compared to Bruno Fernandes

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Manchester United's summer transfer business is starting to take shape.

As we head towards July when the transfer rumour mill really begins to wind up, United have been heavily linked with moves for attacking midfielders, goalkeepers and forwards.

But while signing a new midfielder was also considered a priority this summer, the links with specific players have been few and far between this summer.

Bruno Fernandes is expected to drop deeper this season and play in a central midfield role, while United still have Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro as options to partner him.

But given Fernandes will be the first name on the team sheet, it is perhaps wise to look at players with similar characteristics to the United captain as a way of identifying players who would thrive in Ruben Amorim's midfield.

Using DataMB's player similarity generator tool to bring up players with similar characteristics to Fernandes, Mainz midfielder Nadiem Amiri ranked in the top five most similar players to the United skipper.

The 28-year-old left Bayer Leverkusen last summer after falling out of favour under Xabi Alonso but has reinvented himself as one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga since moving to the MEWA Arena.

Amiri scored eight goals and bagged five assists from midfield last term and was a key driver in Mainz finishing in sixth place and securing European football next season.

The Germany international was named in the Players' Bundesliga Team of the Season and, despite having three years left on his current deal at the club, would be a fairly cheap option for United to consider - particularly when they are seeking big money moves in other positions.

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann is a big fan of Amiri, having previously coached him at Hoffenheim, and praised him when recalling him to the national side in March.

"Nadiem is having an outstanding season," Nagelsmann said. "He’s a very good example of how you can take a step back to push your career forward."

Valued at around £17million by Transfermarkt, United could do a lot worse than look in Amiri's direction in their bid to strengthen their midfield options.

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