Man Utd ready to pull plug on second midfield signing as INEOS turn attention to other targets
Man Utd are ready to pull the plug on a deal for Atalanta midfielder Ederson amid concerns over his medical tests, according to reports.
The Red Devils are looking to sign two, maybe three, new midfielders in the summer transfer market this summer as they look to reward Michael Carrick with a brilliant second half to the season.
Man Utd finished third in the Premier League under Carrick to qualify for the Champions League and give the Red Devils a boost ahead of the summer transfer window.
INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have refused to get drawn into bidding wars for players this summer and Man Utd have potentially missed out on deals for players like Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes in order to not pay over the odds.
Man Utd are set to announce a deal to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea today after he passed a medical – but a deal for Atalanta midfielder Ederson is looking more complicated.
After reportedly going for a first medical in New York during the World Cup, it had appeared that a deal was done after Fabrizio Romano confirmed it as ‘100 per cent confirmed’.
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Romano wrote on X on June 6: ‘Manchester United and Atalanta have now completed all documents for €45m package deal for Ederson.
‘All done and player set to sign later on this summer but all agreed with Ederson since May.
‘First signing: 100% confirmed.’
However, in a less sure update on Thursday, Romano revealed that Ederson still needs to pass a second medical in England in order for the deal to be completed.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Ederson will undergo a medical this week, so it will be this week at Manchester United. There will be Ederson taking a medical in the UK, because Man United made the first check in the US, and they want to do more checks with their own staff in England. At the moment, the deal is still not confirmed.
“So today I can tell you, Ederson to Man United, here we go. In the sense of what I told you in June, agreement between all parties, the player is having a medical, it’s all agreed verbally, but to tell you, is Ederson to Manchester United closed, signed, completed?
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“Not yet at this stage, not yet. And we have to be careful, because there is a medical to do in England, and Man United will then communicate to Atalanta and to the player what they feel about that medical.”
ESPN Brasil journalist Felipe Silva brought similar news in his post on X: ‘Andrey Santos will undergo medical exams this Thursday (9) to sign with Manchester United. Deal closed in the region of 50 million pounds. The operation for the midfielder Ederson, from Atalanta and the Brazilian national team, is stalled at this moment.’
A Man Utd deal for Ederson ‘could collapse’
And now Football Insider insists that a deal ‘could collapse’ with Man Utd threatening to ‘pull the plug on their deal’ amid medical concerns.
The website’s transfer expert Pete O’Rourke added: “I still think there is a number of midfielders on the radar at Man United this summer.
“Obviously the Ederson deal has taken longer than expected, and there’s been a few doubts about his recent injury history and the potential impact of that.
“He’s going to have to do a thorough medical at Old Trafford before that move does get processed and agreed by Man United.
“If they’re not happy with the results of that, the deal might fall through.
“They’re a bit short in that department, so we’ll see if the Ederson deal goes ahead but I still think they would like to bring in another midfielder for sure.”
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