Manchester United are moving early on their summer rebuild, with Michael Carrick pushing for Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali as the club’s next signing. United are also in contact with Atalanta midfielder Ederson’s camp, after reports in Italy and Spain said talks over both players were advancing as the club prepares for a bigger shake-up in midfield.
The scale of that rebuild is already clear. United want at least two midfielders, one left-back and one left-winger, even after securing Champions League football for next season by finishing third in the Premier League. For a squad that struggled for control in key moments, the search for a casemiro replacement manchester united has become one of the defining tasks of the window.
Tonali is the more expensive chase. Reports in Spain said negotiations were progressing rapidly despite the financial demands, with Newcastle seeking at least €90m for the Italy international. United are said to be weighing a fixed net fee of around eighty million euros, plus performance-related bonuses, and Tonali’s agents have already signalled that he is open to the move. Carrick wants the midfielder as United’s next signing, a sign of how high he sits on the club’s shortlist.
Ederson, meanwhile, has emerged as a separate live option. Italian journalist Nicola Schira reported on Friday that United were one step away from lining up a deal for the Atalanta midfielder, saying the transfer could be completed for 45M and that the contract would run until 2031 on 5M a year. Schira added that the parties were still working through the final bonus details, but were confident of closing the deal.
Fabrizio Romano then added a different piece to the picture this week. He said Ederson had told Atalanta he would not sign a new contract, that his current deal runs until summer 2027, and that United are in contact with his camp and aware of the situation. Romano also made clear that Ederson is not United’s only midfield target, with several names still on the shortlist.
That overlap matters. United are not shopping for a single profile, but for a midfield reset that can support a return to the Champions League and the demands that come with it. Tonali is the headline target in one lane, Ederson is advancing in another, and the club appear determined to leave this summer with more control in the middle of the pitch than they had last season.
The harder question now is whether United move quickly enough to beat the price inflation that comes with public interest. Newcastle want top-end money for Tonali, Atalanta are already being told Ederson may not extend, and Carrick’s squad needs more than one signing to close the gap. The next few weeks should show whether United are building a midfield around one big name or moving on multiple fronts at once.
