Manchester United are rapidly edging closer to completing their first signing of the summer transfer window.
Although the transfer window will not officially open until next month, the Red Devils have already made significant progress in negotiations to sign Ederson from Atalanta.
Several reports over the past week have strongly suggested that Ederson could become the very first signing of the new Michael Carrick era at Old Trafford.
INEOS clearly have no intention of wasting time this summer as they prepare for a major midfield rebuild.
Manuel Ugarte is now viewed as surplus to requirements and could soon be shown the exit door.
Even if United successfully complete the signing of Ederson, the club must still prioritise recruiting at least two more midfielders this summer.
They may have to pay a fee of around £30 million to £40 million to sign Ederson.
United could still intensify their pursuit of both Mateus Fernandes and Carlos Baleba in the coming weeks.
West Ham United had set a staggering price tag of £80 million on Fernandes.
After West Ham were relegated to the Championship, United must try to sign the 21-year-old for a bargain fee of £50m.
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring him but it is highly unlikely that they would pay a higher fee than that.
Neither Ederson nor Fernandes are traditional holding midfielders, making Baleba an extremely important target for United this summer.
Personal terms are unlikely to present any complications because Baleba has reportedly been dreaming about a move to Old Trafford since last year.
The Brighton midfielder may still be far from the finished product, but many believe he possesses the elite potential to follow the path of players such as N’Golo Kante or Moises Caicedo.
An offer in the region of £80m could ultimately become too tempting for Brighton & Hove Albion to reject.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com