Ederson was in England two days ago thinking he was about to become a Manchester United player. Instead he’s headed back to Italy for vacation, because the club pulled out of a £35 million deal with Atalanta at an advanced stage.
According to Fabrizio Romano, it came down to fitness concerns — and possibly a failed part of his medical. United had agreed terms with Atalanta on a transfer that would have brought the Brazilian midfielder to Old Trafford. Then the plug got yanked.
Romano explained in his latest YouTube video that the deal is definitively off.
“Let me just confirm to you what I’ve been telling you now for the last 24 hours. Ederson to Manchester United deal off,” he said. “Atalanta confirm again today that the player has been informed that he has to return to Atalanta. He’s not going to be signed by Manchester United.”
Romano added that the player himself is disappointed. Ederson really wanted this move. It was a dream for him, according to the reporter. And now he’s left England entirely, ready to take a break before reporting back to the Serie A side.
Meanwhile Atalanta’s position is pretty clear: they believe Ederson is fine. They think he’s fully fit and ready to play regularly. So the issue appears to be on United’s side. Romano said United still has to take an official position on what happened, and he respects that. But both the club and the player’s camp have already made it clear — the deal is dead.
This leaves United with a problem. They let Casemiro walk on a free transfer this summer. Manuel Ugarte has had a rough go of it and is now out injured, possibly for a while. So the midfield depth chart looks thin going into the new campaign.
The club is still expected to bring in Chelsea’s Andrey Santos, according to reports from The Athletic and others. But that’s one addition, and they probably need more. Especially if they don’t trust what they currently have.
Ederson has been really good for Atalanta. Strong on the ball, reads the game well, runs through tackles. He looked like a signing that could’ve worked. But if United had real doubts about his fitness — enough to kill the deal after terms were agreed — then maybe walking away was the right call.
Still, you don’t pull a player all the way to England for a medical and then send him back without a clear explanation. Atalanta is reportedly ready to welcome him back, no hard feelings. But for Ederson, this one stings. He had his bags packed for Manchester. Now he’s just waiting for the next option.
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