Manchester United and Manchester City have both enquired about Atalanta midfielder Ederson, according to reports in Italy.
The Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Caught Offside) claim that the approaches were rebuffed but the two Manchester sides are unlikely to be deterred by Atalanta’s current stance.
It is believed that a fee between €40m (£34m) and €50m (£42m) would be needed to tempt the Serie A side into selling Ederson this summer.
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United head coach Ruben Amorim is said to be adamant that he wants a more athletic No.8 in his squad, especially with Casemiro being in the twilight of his career, and there is no doubt that the Atalanta star fits the bill.
Ederson has expressed an interest in playing in the Premier League
When Liverpool made their own enquiries for the 25-year-old last year, the midfielder made it known that he would be open to joining an English club:
“I like Italy, I’m well adapted, but I’m curious about the Premier League, so I don’t know. I’m still growing, so I don’t know if I’ll stay in Italy, I think I still have more to prove. If I go somewhere else, then too. I will continue to grow.”
Man United will hope to use their good relationship with Atalanta
The interest from City does complicate any future negotiations for Ederson. However, the Red Devils do have one important advantage over their rivals.
They have had recent dealings with Atalanta, having paid £72m for Rasmus Hojlund in 2023. Relations between the two sets of officials are believed to be cordial.
Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that they will be more amenable to selling Ederson to United, instead of City, but it could (at the very least) help in terms of ensuring talks go smoothly.
In other news, Man United have been linked with signing a former Everton striker