Man Utd enter race to sign in-demand midfielder as club knock £35m off asking price

Manchester United have entered the race to sign a new midfielder in a cut-price deal this summer - potentially after he has played at the 2026 World Cup.

United have already assigned midfield as a key area of focus for the upcoming summer window, having targeted new attackers during the 2025 window.

They have been heavily linked with Brighton star Carlos Baleba over the past nine months, though the Seagulls are demanding a fee of around £100 million to sell the Cameroon international.

That may cause United to look at other players, with strong interest in Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson and, according to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.

But an intriguing option has emerged elsewhere, with United potentially able to secure a cut-price deal for a player who has been one of Europe's most in-demand midfielders in recent seasons.

That's according to Tuttomercatoweb, who claim that Brazil midfielder Ederson, who currently plays for Serie A side Atalanta, is likely to be on the move this summer.

Ederson has earned three caps for Brazil (Image: Getty)

They claim that both Manchester United and Atletico Madrid are interested in signing the 26-year-old, who has three caps for Brazil.

The report notes, however, that Atalanta have slashed their asking price from €70 million down to 'at least' €30 million - a reduction totalling around £35 million - and claims that the previous figure is 'no longer sustainable'.

The sheer size of that reduction will no doubt put interested clubs on red alert, especially as Ederson has been playing Champions League football this season and also has an outside chance of making Brazil's World Cup squad.

He has been a near ever-present in the Atalanta side when fit, making 30 appearances and scoring twice, but has missed the last four games with a knee injury.

Ederson ranks 19th among all Serie A players for tackles completed per game this season (as per WhoScored), though the remainder of his statistics are not particularly stand-out.

That is in slight contrast to last season, though, when he was ranked as one of the outstanding midfielders in Italy's top flight.

Agent Andre Cary told Spanish radio station Cadena SAR in November that the 26-year-old would be ideal for Barcelona's system under Hansi Flick, stating: "It's an opportunity because it's at the end of the contract. Atalanta has not wanted to sell, despite receiving very high offers.

"He is close to finishing the contract, they could reduce his price by half, between 30 or 40. But he is a spectacular player who has one of the best numbers in Europe in his position."