Manchester United have decided they want to sign Sandro Tonali and Ederson, and there is growing confidence at Old Trafford that both deals can be done this summer. The two midfielders are now being treated as the club’s leading targets as United prepare to reshape the centre of the pitch before next season.
That ambition comes with real weight. Tonali and Ederson are valued at around £139m combined, a price that underlines how aggressively United are moving as they prepare for their return to the Champions League this season. A recent report from Gianluca Di Marzio said Tonali and Ederson were at the top of United’s shortlist, and he added that the club had set strengthening midfield as its summer goal, with confidence building around a double deal.
Di Marzio also said United were ahead in the chase for the Brazilian, while Atletico Madrid were trailing in the race for the other midfielder. The club’s interest is not new, but the scale of it is now clearer. Earlier reporting had already put Tonali and Ederson at the top of United’s list, and the latest update suggests the focus has hardened into a two-man plan rather than a broad search.
On Thursday morning, Fabrizio Romano said new contacts would take place in the coming days over Ederson’s future, with Manchester United still interested. He said the Brazilian is one of the names on the club’s shortlist for midfield, though not the only one being considered, and added that Ederson would be open to a move if Atalanta continue to ask for around €45m. That opens the door to movement, but it also shows the deal is still at the talking stage.
Alfredo Pedullo added another layer of clarity, saying United’s technical choice has already been made and that Ederson is the target. But he also said talks were postponed until the official appointment of Atalanta’s new sporting director, a reminder that the path to a transfer can be slowed by decisions far from Manchester. The club’s interest is firm, yet the calendar is not fully in United’s hands.
The wider plan is obvious. United are expected to be active in the market ahead of their Champions League return, and midfield is being treated as the priority because Manuel Ugarte is expected to follow Casemiro out this summer. The reports point to at least two new midfielders arriving before next season, which makes Tonali and Ederson more than isolated targets; they are the centrepiece of a rebuild.
That is why this pursuit matters now. United are not simply shopping for depth. They are trying to replace major pieces, raise the level of the squad and do it quickly enough to meet the demands of next season. If both players are secured, it would mark one of the clearest statements yet from a club that knows its midfield cannot stay as it is.
The next step is likely to come through further talks over Ederson in the coming days, with Tonali remaining part of the same summer push. United have made their choice, and the size of the move suggests they do not intend to wait quietly for the market to settle.
