Manchester United could be dealt a decisive blow to their long-term interest in Atalanta midfielder Ederson with Al-Hilal weighing up a move for the Brazilian international, according to Ben Jacobs.
Ruben Amorim has identified an “athletic No 8-type midfielder” as a priority this as the 40-year-old coach seeks to overhaul the United squad after the club’s worst season in the Premier League era.
The bulk of the budget at Old Trafford will be directed towards the forward line with a deal already agreed for Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and negotiations set to begin for Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford).
But the midfield unit is also in need of reinforcements with none of the existing options, outside of Bruno Fernandes, impressing this season.
Christian Eriksen set to leave on a free transfer as his contract expires while Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, and Manuel Ugarte have all struggled with the physical demands Amorim places on the central pivot in his 3-4-2-1 system.
Ederson is a long-standing target at Old Trafford with the 26-year-old having established himself as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Italy over the past few years.
The Brazilian was pivotal in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph last season, comprehensively defeating Xabi Alonso’s undefeated Bayer Leverkusen side 3-0 in the final.
And Ederson has impressed again this year at the heart of La Dea’s midfield with Atalanta finishing 3rd in Serie A – their joint highest finish in Italy’s top division.
Gianluigi Gasperini, Atalanta’s manager who will join AS Roma this summer, has employed a similar 3-4-3 system to Amorim in recent years with Ederson featuring as a box-crashing number eight in the midfield pivot – the exact position and profile United’s head coach is searching for this summer.
The Red Devils are reported to have held talks with Atalanta in recent months to establish the conditions of a deal for Ederson after the club’s scouts were impressed by his performance against AC Milan in April.
But local rival Manchester City are also believed to be in the hunt for the Brazilian as Pep Guardiola seeks his own midfield overhaul.
However, both Manchester clubs could now face being usurped by Al-Hilal with the Saudi Pro League side identifying Ederson as a key target, along with Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) and Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), according to Jacobs – a journalist with excellent contacts in the Middle East.
Jacobs reveals Ederson is a name “currently under discussion” by Al-Hilal executives as they plot an explosive raid on Europe before the Club World Cup commences on June 14.
The Saudi club had made an ambitious approach to sign Fernandes but the United captain rebuffed their interest after a week of negotiations in Riyadh. But Al-Hilal could be set to have the last laugh over the Red Devils as they plot a deal to sign a key target for United this summer.
Featured image Francesco Scaccianoce via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
