Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Ineos should not allow either Serie A side Atalanta or Premier League club Newcastle to beat Manchester United for one midfield-linked player this summer.
The Red Devils have seen the arrival of both Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea this summer amid Ineos’ current transfer business.
Michael Carrick has been left short of midfield options after Casemiro’s exit from Old Trafford this summer and Manuel Ugarte’s injury at the World Cup.
Manchester United fans have been watching to see who the third major midfielder will be to arrive at the Premier League club after Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO of INEOS group, Omar Berrada, CEO of Manchester United, and David Gill look on in the stands during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on May 17, 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
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Ineos might have an advantage over Atalanta if Man Utd were to pursue the signing of Danilo this summer
Manchester United had come close to signing Brazil midfielder Ederson from Atalanta this summer before the agreement fell through in July due to a medical issue.
Atalanta could come back to haunt Man Utd and Ineos again this summer if the Serie A club managed to sign Botafogo and Brazil midfielder Danilo.
Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, who is the manager of Atalanta, is believed to be interested in bringing Man Utd-linked Danilo to the Italian club.
“Yesterday the newspaper O Globo reported Atalanta’s interest,” Bruno Andrade said on ESPN Brasil.
“They’re the Italian club coached by Maurizio Sarri, and the team Ederson plays for. He came very close to joining Manchester United, but stayed at Atalanta and even renewed his contract shortly after the World Cup.
“O Jogo is also reporting this interest, and we have been looking into it.”
Danilo, who has been at Botafogo since 2025 after he left Nottingham Forest, has been linked with the likes of AC Milan, Man Utd, Newcastle and Atalanta.
However, the Red Devils might have received a boost in the race to sign the 25-year-old Brazilian because of his desire to play in the Premier League.
“We’ll see whether they stop today, stop tomorrow, progress, or collapse completely. But that is the situation: Atalanta are pushing strongly for Danilo,” Bruno Andrade added.
“He wants to play in Europe, especially in England, but England hasn’t materialised while Italy has.”
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Cristian Orozco of Manchester United poses after signing for the club at Carrington Training Ground on August 06, 2026 in Manchester, England.
Cristian Orozco of Manchester United poses after signing for the club at Carrington Training Ground on August 06, 2026 in Manchester, England.
Ineos’ only real competition would be Newcastle if Man Utd entered the race to sign Danilo as their third midfield option
With Danilo’s suspected desire to return to England, both Newcastle and Man Utd could leapfrog the likes of Atalanta and AC Milan in the race to sign him.
Newcastle will be on the hunt for a new midfield option this summer amid Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes set to move to Premier League champions Arsenal.
Man Utd and Ineos could easily land Danilo if they wanted to due to his current release clause, which is believed to be in the range of £25m to £30m.
Botafogo’s release clause for Danilo only applies to clubs overseas, meaning that the field has been reduced even further for clubs that could compete against United.
While Atalanta try to work out some kind of deal with Botafogo, Man Utd could easily hijack the transfer due to their ability to offer Danilo Premier League football again.