Atalanta midfielder Ederson has reportedly given Manchester United first refusal on a summer move, with the 26-year-old said to be pausing talks with other clubs while the Premier League side try to get a deal done. United are understood to have made progress in their bid and could make him their first signing of the window.
That push comes with Manchester United looking for a new midfielder when the transfer market opens, and Casemiro’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season. Ederson has emerged as a leading candidate to fill that gap, with some reports claiming United and Atalanta have already reached a verbal agreement, though the club have not yet taken the final step that would allow the move to be completed formally.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Ederson has paused discussions with other clubs and is giving Manchester United every chance to finish the deal. The message from his camp appears to be clear: the midfielder wants the Old Trafford route explored fully before entertaining any alternative. United and Atalanta are now trying to bridge the remaining gap and turn advanced talks into an actual transfer.
The price is also part of the conversation. Atalanta value Ederson at £38.3million, a figure that includes an initial fee of £34.5m plus add-ons. That is not a small ask for a player who has become central to United’s midfield plans, but it is still well below the huge sums attached to some other targets.
On Friday night, Ederson was an unused substitute as Atalanta drew 1-1 with Fiorentina, and boss Raffaele Palladino made clear the absence was tied to the market. “Ederson out? It was a decision we agreed with the boy because there’s something going on in the transfer market,” Palladino said. He added that “the fact that such a player is being followed by such a big club should be a source of pride.”
That is the kind of remark that usually only comes when a transfer is close enough to disturb team selection. It does not confirm a deal, and United have still not made their final decision to allow Ederson to formally complete a move to Old Trafford, but it does show the situation has moved beyond simple scouting. The player is being handled as someone with one foot in the negotiation and one foot still in Bergamo.
United are not pursuing him in a vacuum. Elliot Anderson, the Nottingham Forest midfielder, is also on their shortlist, and Manchester City have expressed interest in him too. Anderson is reportedly valued at around £100million, which makes Ederson look like the more reachable option if United want a summer addition without waiting for a long auction to unfold.
For now, the race is not about who is linked and who is not. It is about whether United can turn momentum into a signed deal before other suitors force the issue. If they do, Ederson could end up as the move that shapes their midfield rebuild before the rest of the summer even begins.
