Man United Edge Closer to Ederson Deal as Atalanta Reshuffle Clears Path

Manchester United appear to have zeroed in on their primary midfield target, with Ederson from Atalanta now firmly in their sights. The Red Devils have been pushing hard to strengthen the middle of the park this summer, and the Brazilian's arrival would represent a significant step towards addressing the void left by Casemiro's departure.

The path to getting this one over the line has already been smoothed somewhat. Ederson has already put pen to paper on personal terms with United, leaving just the minor detail of the clubs hammering out a fee. According to reports, United remain calm about proceedings and are in no particular rush, which bodes well for eventually getting a deal done.

United's ambitions don't stop at just one midfielder either. The plan has long been to bring in two players to properly fill the gap left behind, with several Premier League names having been linked at various points.

The stumbling block in recent weeks has been straightforward enough: Atalanta have been reshuffling their upper echelons. Cristiano Giuntoli is now their sporting director, whilst Maurizio Sarri has taken the managerial reins. These are the men who'll now be tasked with finalizing the transaction with United, though the groundwork has already been extensively laid.

The figures being bandied about suggest some room for negotiation. Whilst £43million has been mentioned in certain quarters, United are apparently keen to wrap things up closer to £33million. Reports indicate the club are working towards a fee in the region of €40-45million.

What's encouraging is that multiple sources are now singing from the same hymn sheet regarding how advanced these talks have become. The deal is essentially done from the player's perspective, with only the administrative formalities requiring attention. Given that United aren't operating under any time pressure, they appear content to let Atalanta's new regime settle before putting the final details to bed.

Unless something rather extraordinary transpires, Ederson should become a Manchester United player once the dust settles at the Bergamo club.