Man Utd dealt transfer blow as Real Madrid open talks for £50m target
Yesterday at 12:37 PM
Real Madrid have joined Manchester United in the race for Ederson, opening initial discussions with Atalanta with a view to signing the midfielder next summer.
Ederson has built a reputation as one of the most complete defensive midfielders in Italian football since leaving Brazilian outfit Corinthians to join Salernitana three years ago..
After making just 15 appearances with Salernitana, Ederson secured a £19million move to Atalanta and the 25-year-old has never looked back, quickly establishing himself as a fan favourite in Bergamo.
Ederson played a central role in Atalanta’s historic Europa League campaign last season, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s men ending Bayer Leverkusen unbeaten run to secure the club’s first ever European trophy.
This term, Ederson has picked up where he left off, starting all but one of Atalanta’s Serie A matches while starring in the Champions League, even coming away with the man-of-the-match award from September’s goalless draw with Arsenal.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Madrid have seen enough and ‘informal contacts’ have begun with Atalanta to gauge Ederson’s potential availability as an additional signing to Martin Zubimendi – the club’s primary midfield target.
Madrid have been actively scouring the market for midfield reinforcements for some time and it’s claimed Ederson made a big impression during Atalanta’s 3-2 defeat to Madrid last month.
Zubimendi is considered a ready-made replacement for Toni Kroos at the Bernebeu, while Ederson is viewed as a potential candidate to bring solidity to the base of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield.
It’s understood Manchester United remain firmly in the running for Ederson and are ‘seriously considering’ a bid to sign the Brazil international, along with local rivals Manchester City.
The report claims that while United continue to ‘follow Ederson closely’, though, the ‘priority’ at Old Trafford is to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s attacking options at this stage.
Atletico Madrid are also keen admirers, having launched an unsuccessful £46m bid for Ederson’s services last summer.
Atalanta have made it clear they will not be listening to offers for Ederson this January but it is likely to be a different story in the summer, with the club set to demand a fee in the region of £50m for their prized possession.
Ederson’s current contract at the Gewiss Stadium runs through to 2027.
At the start of the season, Ederson admitted he was 'curious' about playing in the Premier League in the future, but did not want any distractions during Brazil's 2024 Copa America campaign.
Asked if leaving Atalanta was on the cards, Ederson told AS: 'It always happens when the market opens that speculation comes with it, not only about my future, but also for many players.
'When I received my Brazil call-up, I told my wife and my agents: "Look, now I'm going to the national team, so you have to deal with what comes and what doesn't come".
'Now I'm going to focus on the national team, it's my first call-up, so I have to be 100 per cent with my head there. And then I will think about my future.'
He added: 'I am very happy at Atalanta. I just won a great title, I am very well integrated. My future is something that doesn't worry me.
'What worries me right now is doing well here with the Brazilian team, leaving a positive impression because it is my first call-up. Making sure everyone knows me here just like everyone knows me in Italy.
'I am very focused, very happy, trying to make the most of this moment with the national team.'
Asked which league would be best suited to his game, Ederson replied: 'I don't know, I've thought about it a lot.
'I like Italy, I'm well adapted, but I'm curious about the Premier League, so I don't know.
'I'm still growing, so I don't know if I'll stay in Italy, I think I still have more to prove. If I go somewhere else I will continue to grow too.'
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