Manchester United in auction for midfielder – 2027 expiry sees price halved

Manchester United have Atalanta’s Ederson in their target list and could bring him to the Premier League in the summer.

The midfielder joined the Serie A side from Salernitana in 2022 and established himself at his current club.

He was a key part of La Dea’s squad that won the Europa League and the Coppa Italia during the 2023/24 season.

However, the 26-year-old form has clearly dropped when compared to his numbers from last season in the league.

He’s managed four goals and an assist from 37 matches and has a goal from 21 games this season. The table below has his statistics of last season [first] and then from this season per game.

• Expected Goals: 4.07 – 3.04
• Expected Assists: 4.83 – 1.17
• Big chances create: 6 – 2
• Dribbled past: 0-3 – 0.7
• Successful dribbles: 0.6 – 0.4
• Ground duels won: 53.8% – 52.9%
• Aerial duels won: 60% – 40.4%

The Brazil international’s tackles per game have increased from 0.9 to 1.4 and possession lost has dropped from 10.3 to 8.1 this season.

These stats indicate a dip in Ederson’s form, while attacking and defending. However, that doesn’t seem to have put off the likes of Manchester United and Atlético Madrid. 

Manchester United in transfer battle

That’s according to TuttoMercatoWeb, who cover the latest on the Red Devils and La Liga side.

Diego Simeone’s side tried to sign him in the winter market. His agent, André Cury, said in November that a sale could be possible for €30-40m in January, but a move never took shape.

Atlético are still keen on signing the South American and have to be wary of Manchester United. That’s because the Premier League side have emerged as a strong contender in the race to sign Ederson in the summer.

In short, there could be an auction, in which Manchester United and Atlético will battle for his signature. 

Last year, the Italian club set a €60-70m price and the starting price now is just €30m. In other words, it’s reduced by 50% and the report claims it could drop further. His contract expires in 2027, adding downward pressure, and Transfermarkt value him at €40m.

Midfielder priority for Manchester United

Michael Carrick now has Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount as midfielders at his disposal.

Mount has struggled with regular injuries since arriving at Old Trafford from Chelsea in July 2023. Since then, he’s played 2,624 minutes from 66 matches in all competitions.

Casemiro has announced his decision to leave when his contract expires in June. Ugarte, on the other hand, hasn’t been a regular and could push for a move after this season.

Therefore, Manchester United must prioritise signing more than one midfielder considering they’ll have more fixtures next season with a return to Europe.