Manchester United’s pursuit of a Brazilian midfield reinforcement has hit another snag. The club was closing in on Atalanta’s Ederson, who had been called up to Brazil’s World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Wesley. But the deal fell apart after the defensive midfielder failed his medical exams, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Ederson is now expected to return to Italy and rejoin Atalanta, who believe he’s fully fit and ready for preseason training. He saw limited action at the World Cup, coming off the bench in the 81st minute against Haiti and again in the 79th minute of Brazil’s elimination loss to Norway. But the medical red flags were enough to scare United off.
United’s Focus Shifts to Another Brazilian Option
With the Ederson deal dead, the Red Devils have pivoted. They already had an agreement in place with Chelsea for Andrey Santos, but the club’s immediate priority is now Wolverhampton’s Joao Gomes. The 24-year-old midfielder came through Flamengo’s academy and has been one of the few bright spots for Wolves this season, even as the team got relegated to the Championship.
Gomes had been deep in talks with Atletico Madrid, who were prepared to pay around €45 million for him. But the deal fell through after agent Jorge Mendes, who was brokering the transfer, took Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid instead. Silva had been an Atletico target, and the club brass got annoyed with Mendes’ handling of things. They pulled out of the Gomes deal, leaving the midfielder’s future up in the air.
Liverpool has also been linked with Gomes, though no formal bid has materialized yet. United’s interest appears to be more advanced at this point, but nothing is finalized.
A Chaotic Summer for United’s Midfield Plans
This whole saga shows how messy United’s summer has been. They lost out on one Brazilian target to a failed medical, another to a complicated agent situation, and now they’re scrambling. Gomes is a different type of player than Ederson — more of a box-to-box presence than a pure destroyer — but he’s proven he can handle the physicality of the Premier League, even in a bad Wolves side.
The Red Devils haven’t commented publicly on the failed Ederson deal or their interest in Gomes. But with the transfer window still open and multiple holes to fill in midfield, expect more movement in the coming weeks.
As for Ederson, Atalanta is happy to have him back. They see him as a key piece for the new season and aren’t worried about the failed medical. Time will tell if United made the right call to walk away.
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