Manchester United Transfer News: Renato Sanches Snub Prompts Andre Gomes Rumours

Manchester United have reportedly turned their attentions to signing Valencia's Andre Gomes in the summer after missing out on Benfica star Renato Sanches.

United had long been linked with 18-year-old central midfielder Sanches, but the Portuguese's summer switch to Bayern Munich has now been confirmed, per BBC Sport.

As a result, the Red Devils have reportedly "turned up the heat in their pursuit of" Gomes, 22, and will look to negotiate a transfer fee lower than the £51 million Los Che are set to demand, per Spanish outlet Super Deporte (h/t Daily Star's Rhys Turrell).

Turrell added that Portugal's Gomes is represented by agent Jorge Mendes, "who also looks after Jose Mourinho" the man hotly tipped to replace Louis van Gaal as United manager in the summer.

Missing out on Sanches is a big blow for United, as he is one of the most exciting and talented central midfielders in Europe, and the Old Trafford club have been tracking him for some time.

Spanish football writer David Cartlidge believes Gomes could be a good alternative for United, but they will need to act fast to avoid losing another target, as Juventus are also interested in the former Benfica midfielder:

Gomes is a different type of player to Sanches, less a dictator of play, more of an attacking threat going forward.

He is a powerful dribbler with excellent close-ball control, while his distribution from the middle of the park can also be effective—see some of his highlights below:

United need added strength in the centre of midfield, as Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger are both drawing to the end of their respective careers.

In Morgan Schneiderlin and Daley Blind, United already have decent alternatives, but Gomes could provide further depth while also adding greater attacking flair to United's engine room.

Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

Sanches looked to be the ideal box-to-box midfielder for United to add to their ranks, but they were beaten to the young star by German giants Bayern.

According to Portuguese newspaper Record (h/t James Gray of the Daily Express), Sanches had offers on the table from both the Bundesliga side and United, but "playing in a Champions League quarter-final at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich convinced him to sign a five-year deal with the club."

He is likely also to have been swayed by Bayern's currently higher standing in world football, as they are consistent challengers for the Bundesliga title and UEFA Champions League, while United are struggling to make the Premier League's top four.