Manchester United reach agreement for midfielder Éderson

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Atalanta to sign Éderson for an initial €40.5m (£35m), with the midfielder set to be the first signing of Michael Carrick’s tenure as the permanent manager.

As reported by the Guardian in April, the 26-year-old was identified by Carrick and Jason Wilcox, the director of football, as a replacement for Casemiro, who has now left the club after the expiry of his contract.

The deal could be worth a total €45m (£38.8m) with add-ons. Personal terms have been agreed on a contract that will expire in June 2030, with an option to extend for 12 months. While the summer transfer window opens on 15 June, the transfer is likely to be completed early next month, with the player yet to undertake a medical. Éderson’s contract with the Italian club only had a year to run.

His prime position is as a holding player, possessing a dynamism to make runs from box to box, and an ability to read a game and stymie attacks. Manuel Ugarte, also a defensive midfielder, rarely featured last season and after signing for £51m from Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2024 could be sold or loaned.

Éderson, who turns 27 next month, was in Carlo Ancelotti’s initial 55-man squad ahead of the World Cup but the Brazil head coach did not select him for the tournament.

Éderson joined Atalanta in January 2022 from Salernitana, having played for Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Fortaleza in his homeland. After making his Brazil debut in a friendly against Mexico in June 2024, he has three caps, the last of which came in a 4-1 loss to Argentina in March 2025.

Carrick is intent on signing two new midfielders, with others on United’s list including Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni, who would cost around £70m, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, who United value at £50m, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who would cost at least £60m, and Elliot Anderson, who may be priced at a minimum £100m by Nottingham Forest and is believed to favour a move to Manchester City.