Manchester United are one of four clubs to have made 'preliminary contact' with Atalanta BC midfielder Ederson, according to a report.
The Red Devils confirmed their first arrival of the summer window on Sunday afternoon, announcing the capture of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £62.5m transaction.
Cunha will fill one of the two spots behind the central striker in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 shape, potentially as Bruno Fernandes's replacement as the Portuguese weighs up a move to Saudi Arabia.
However, Fernandes also operated in a deeper midfield role for a large portion of the 2024-25 campaign, so a new number six or number eight is also expected to be on Man United's agenda for the summer.
Atalanta's Ederson has long been linked with a transfer to the Theatre of Dreams, and it appears that Man United have stepped up their efforts to bring him to the Premier League in the coming weeks.
Man United one of four clubs 'in contact' for Ederson
© Imago
According to TuttoAtalanta, the Red Devils have now touched base with the agents of the Brazilian to gauge his interest in a move, but they are not the only team to have done so.
Liverpool, Barcelona and Newcastle United have supposedly also sounded out Ederson, who will enter the last two years of his contract with La Dea at the end of this month.
While Ederson has never publicly said that he wants to seek pastures new, the report adds that there has been no progress in contract talks, and he currently does not seem 'willing' to extend.
As a result, Atalanta could decide to cash in on the 25-year-old in the coming window when his stock is at its highest, although Man United's lack of European football will put them at an immediate disadvantage.
Ederson has been a stalwart for Atalanta since joining in a £19.3m deal from Salernitana in 2022, registering 13 goals and four assists in 139 appearances for the Italian giants in all tournaments.
The midfielder became a Europa League winner with La Dea in the 2023-24 campaign and was one of the first names on the teamsheet last term too, playing 49 times and coming up with five goals and two assists.
The state of play with Man United's midfield
© Imago
Ederson would seemingly be a like-for-like replacement for Casemiro in the Man United engine room, and it appeared inevitable for a long time that the Brazilian would be moving on this summer.
However, Casemiro unexpectedly excelled under Amorim in the closing stages of last season, and the ex-Real Madrid man is now at least expected to see out another year at Old Trafford, where his deal could even be extended by a further 12 months until 2027.
Kobbie Mainoo's future is the subject of more uncertainty, though, as the Englishman struggled to show his best form last term and could be sold for pure profit given his status as a home-grown player.
Amorim is already confirmed to be losing one midfielder this summer, as Christian Eriksen will officially become a free agent when his contract expires on June 30.
Ben Knapton
![Yankuba Minteh pictured on April 24, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/11/29/1x1.gif?w=1&h=1 "Yankuba Minteh pictured on April 24, 2024 [IMAGO]")
