Manchester United's Ederson Transfer Deal Stalls Over Knee Concerns

Manchester United’s move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson has lurched from near-certainty to doubt, with medical concerns over the Brazilian’s knee forcing the club back to the negotiating table.

Six weeks ago, this looked straightforward. A fee of £35 million, plus £3.8 million in add-ons, was agreed with Atalanta. Personal terms over a four-year contract were settled. The plan was simple: complete the formalities in early July and unveil a 27-year-old Brazil international as a key piece of United’s midfield rebuild.

Then the script changed.

Ederson received a late call-up to Brazil’s World Cup squad, pushing back the timeline. United pushed ahead regardless, conducting part of his medical while he was in the United States with the national team. More detailed checks followed once Brazil were knocked out by Norway in the last 16.

Those tests raised a red flag.

Concerns over a knee injury sustained last season have complicated a deal that had been all but done. United ordered further examinations last week, looking for clarity before committing fully to a significant outlay on a player expected to feature heavily in the coming years.

Reports in Italy have since claimed the transfer is off and that Atalanta are preparing to hand Ederson a new five-year contract. From Bergamo’s side, the message is one of strength: if United walk away, they will lock down a key asset.

United, though, are not ready to slam the door shut. The club have not ruled out completing the signing and are instead exploring ways to restructure the agreement. A revised deal could involve changes to the fixed fee, the add-ons, or the conditions under which those bonuses are triggered, as they look to protect themselves against the medical risk without abandoning a player they clearly rate.

The uncertainty around Ederson comes as United move decisively elsewhere in midfield. A £50 million agreement is in place with Chelsea for 22-year-old Andrey Santos, a very different profile but part of the same broader reshaping of the squad’s core.

And there is a Plan C.

Joao Gomes, long admired at Old Trafford, remains firmly on their radar. The Wolves midfielder had been on course to join Atletico Madrid after the Spanish club themselves stepped back from a move for Ederson. Atletico have now turned to Morten Hjulmand from Sporting instead, leaving Gomes’ future open once more.

Wolves are expected to lose Gomes this summer, and his availability offers United a clean alternative if the Ederson situation proves too tangled to fix. For now, he sits on a shortlist that could move from contingency to priority with one decisive call from Manchester.

United’s recruitment team must now choose their path: renegotiate and gamble on Ederson’s fitness, pivot towards Gomes, or lean harder into the youth and upside of Andrey Santos.

The numbers are agreed in theory. The need in midfield is obvious. What’s less clear is whether Ederson will still be the man walking out at Old Trafford when the window closes.