Undeterred by Rams Højlund’s difficulties, Manchester United are once again raiding Atalanta to sign Brazilian midfielder Ederson. Ederson is an all-action, superstitious star who isn’t a direct replacement for Casemiro.
Ederson set to join Manchester United from Atalanta
Edelson has made quite a name for himself since moving to Europe.
Six months at Salernitana were followed by four glorious years at Atalanta. Now he’s all set to make the leap from Bergamo to Manchester and on to the bright lights of the Premier League.
It is impressive that United were able to keep their interest in Ederson hidden. They were also pursuing other targets at the same time as the Brazilian. From start to finish, they seemed happy to have their names made public.
But the 26-year-old will be the first new signing at Old Trafford this summer. United will hope they don’t suffer from Atalanta’s illness like they did with Ramsus Hjøjlund. After splurging £72m on the Danish player, it would be logical to think United would refuse to do a deal with Atalanta again.
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But United remained undaunted. They have been monitoring Ederson’s progress and development in Serie A and the Champions League for the last 12 months, with Atalanta president Antonio Percassi aware that he is becoming increasingly keen on signing Ederson, who enters the final 12 months of his current contract next month. Atalanta have a star name and they can’t afford not to sell it.
Ederson first came to United’s attention after helping Atalanta win the Europa League in 2024. That season he played 52 games and scored 7 goals, providing a great box-to-box presence in midfield.
United’s resolve was unwavering. Apart from an impressive scouting report for someone known for being uncompromising, energetic and goal-scoring, Ederson ticked even more boxes when it became clear that he would fit within United’s budget.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was attracted by the potential £42m price tag. Certainly so was the fact that his weekly wage in Italy was just £25,000. A move to United would see his wages rise to £75,000 a week.
Michael Carrick’s promotion to permanent manager also accelerated the process after the United manager assessed the merits of the move. Carrick is said to like Ederson’s versatility and does not consider him a successor to Casemiro. He is comfortable in a role defending midfield or further up the pitch.
A move to the Premier League is a dream for Brazilians (Image: 2026 BSR Agency)
Ederson did not hide his desire to try himself in one of the big clubs. His lifelong dream is to play in the Premier League. Speaking about his strengths, Ederson said: “My characteristic is that I have the ball at my feet. I can play both defensive and attacking football. I think it’s easy to attack spaces.”
However, he may run into problems when he arrives. Ederson’s favorite number is 13. Perhaps unlucky for some, but not him. When he joins Atalanta from Salernitana in 2022, he asked to wear the number 13 shirt. His wife was born on July 13th, and his superstitions are strong.
If he wants to take over the number 13 shirt upon his arrival, he will need to speak to incumbent Patrick Dorg.
Ederson has won three caps for Brazil, but was not included in Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad. That means he will be able to spend a full pre-season with United. If he can continue his upward trajectory at one of the world’s biggest clubs, he could hope to be called back to the international stage.
But it’s one thing to shine brightly at Atalanta and quite another to do it at Old Trafford. Khjland proved that. There have been a number of signings with great potential who have left United in the past but left without leaving a trace.
So the pressure will be huge on him to succeed and make United look like they know what they’re doing in the transfer market again.
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