Manchester United seem to be edging closer to signing their first midfielder of the summer, if the latest reports are to be believed.
As things stand, Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest appears to prefer a switch to Manchester City, while Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali has his eyes on a return to Italy.
Crystal Palace metronome Adam Wharton is not compatible alongside Kobbie Mainoo, while Carlos Baleba’s price point might be too high a mountain for the Red Devils to climb.
This is why INEOS have been forced to cast a wider net, and long-term target Ederson of Atalanta has re-emerged on the radar.
United in pole position for Ederson
The race for the Brazilian‘s signature seemed dead and buried when news emerged of Atletico Madrid agreeing a fee with the Italian side.
However, a move has stalled and as relayed by The Peoples Person recently, the 20-time English league champions are in pole position to hijack the move.
#Ederson–#ManchesterUnited: la prossima settimana nuovi dialoghi. Ne parliamo da oltre un anno e mezzo, lo United è stato il primo club a muoversi. E ora cercherà di anticipare la concorrenza sfondando il muro dei 40 milioni https://t.co/EMKcAesTsL
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) May 8, 2026
Lending further credence to that update is today’s story from reputed Italian journalist Alfredo Pedullà, who has claimed that the English giants are set to meet with the player’s camp next week.
The plan of action seems to be agreeing personal terms with the 26-year-old before beginning talks over a fee with the Bergamo-based side.
Talks planned between United and Ederson
It is expected that United will bid in excess of €40 million in order to seal the deal.
“Ederson-Manchester United: new talks next week. We’ve been discussing it for over a year and a half, United was the first club to make a move.
Il #ManchesterUnited vuole prima raggiungere accordo su ingaggio con entourage di #Ederson che l’Atletico Madrid aveva raggiunto da mesi prima di trovare ostacoli (fin qui non superati) sulla valutazione del cartellino https://t.co/vX3oFrDZau
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) May 8, 2026
“And now it will try to outpace the competition by breaking the 40 million euro barrier.
“Manchester United wants to first reach an agreement on wages with the entourage of Ederson, which Atletico Madrid had reached months ago before encountering obstacles (not yet overcome) on the player’s valuation,” Pedullà wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
United need to be wary
Ederson can play as both a central midfielder and defensive midfielder and would be an astute purchase, especially considering his price tag.
However, they cannot place all their eggs in the Brazilian’s basket and need to sign at least one other top-class midfielder, if not two.
The problem will be whether Ederson can translate his Serie A form into the Premier League. The last signing from Atalanta did not exactly set the stage alight after moving to Old Trafford.
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
