Manchester United has terminated a £39 million deal to sign midfielder Ederson from Atalanta due to a knee problem discovered during his medical examination in the United States. The Premier League club confirmed on Monday that they will not proceed with the transfer, which was valued at £35 million plus £3.8 million in add-ons.
Despite the collapse of the Ederson deal, Manchester United has not ruled out revisiting their interest later in the summer transfer window. The club has already pivoted to other targets and is reportedly in advanced negotiations to trigger the £35 million release clause for Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans. United insiders stated that the intention was to finalize the Ederson transfer in early July after agreeing on the deal structure and personal terms with Atalanta and the player.
Ederson was a late addition to Brazil's World Cup squad after an injury to Roma defender Wesley, which necessitated his initial medical being conducted in the U.S. Following the emergence of the knee issue and a subsequent full medical examination last week involving specialists, Manchester United decided against completing the transfer under the agreed terms. Sources close to the club denied that the decision was made before the full medical was concluded.
Manchester United reportedly agreed to a £50 million deal with Chelsea for Andrey Santos last week and are now pursuing Tielemans. While the club maintains that Santos was not signed as a direct replacement for Ederson, Tielemans is viewed as a similar player who could fill the midfield role.
The framework for the Ederson transfer was agreed upon with Atalanta before the World Cup began, and personal terms with the player had also been settled.