Manchester United have reached a £35m (40.5m euros) agreement with Atalanta for Brazilian midfielder Ederson, indicating their desire for an active summer in the transfer window.
Ederson, 26, has yet to undergo a medical, with sources indicating that the transfer is expected to finalize in early July prior to United starting their pre-season training.
Following the enhancement of their forward positions last year, United are focusing on central midfield this time.
Veteran Brazilian Casemiro has departed the club, and Michael Carrick’s decision not to use Uruguay’s Manuel Ugarte—a £50m purchase from PSG in 2024—highlighted the lack of trust in him after he started in the home loss to Leeds in April.
It would be quite surprising if Ugarte remained at the club after the transfer window shuts on 1 September.
If Ugarte departs and Ederson enters, United would lack experience in the deeper midfield roles, as Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, and Bruno Fernandes are typically played further up the pitch.
Consequently, United might secure two or perhaps three reinforcements in that part of the field alone.
Reinforcement could come from the academy, in the shape of Tyler Fletcher, a member of Scotland’s World Cup team, or Jacob Devaney, who performed well while on loan at St Mirren during the latter part of the season.
Ederson, with three international appearances, was included in Brazil’s 55-player World Cup preliminary squad but did not make manager Carlo Ancelotti’s final cut.
He has shown versatility in various central midfield positions for Atalanta, netting 16 goals in 180 matches for the Serie A team across all competitions.
United are also interested in West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
So far, no official offer has been made, and insiders at the demoted London team are skeptical that United would agree to pay the amounts they would consider selling for.
Sources from the Hammers have cited a figure of £80m, which would be seen as a reasonable profit on a player they acquired for over £40m from Southampton last summer.
United desires England’s Elliot Anderson, but the Nottingham Forest midfielder favors a move to Manchester City; they also showed interest in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba last summer.
Alongside reinforcing their midfield, United aim to acquire a left-sided player, with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall being one name of interest, and additional striking support for Benjamin Sesko.
They still have to determine the exact composition of their goalkeeping squad, which might feature Radek Vitek, who had an excellent season on loan at Bristol City, where he secured all their player of the year awards.
The 22-year-old Czech informed BBC Sport in April that he is flexible regarding his future but desires consistent playing time, indicating he will not go back to Old Trafford to be a backup for Senne Lammens.
It is believed that former first-choice Andre Onana has been informed he can seek another club, although it is uncertain how easily the Cameroon international’s salary expectations will be fulfilled.
Like forward Marcus Rashford, Onana will see a rise in his salary due to United’s qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Motivated by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United have transformed their data analysis process under Michael Sansoni, and the ex-senior Mercedes Formula 1 performance engineer has played a crucial role in pinpointing the appropriate targets, collaborating closely with director of football Jason Wilcox.
Carrick stated he had participated in recruitment meetings since being appointed as Ruben Amorim’s interim replacement in January.
