Manchester United's Ederson Transfer Faces Uncertainty

Manchester United's attempt to sign Ederson from Serie A outfit Atalanta was in doubt. United agreed a £35m fee for the Brazil midfielder on 2 June. The intention was for Ederson to have a medical at the start of July so the transfer could be completed before pre-season training began. However, that plan had to be scrapped when the 27-year-old received a late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup squad. It was anticipated Ederson would have his medical once Brazil was knocked out, and United sources privately confirmed this when first reports about the transfer being scrapped surfaced last weekend. Brazil was subsequently eliminated by Norway, but despite Chelsea's Andrey Santos and former Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow closing in on their United moves, even though respective agreements were reached in the past 48 hours, there was no update on Ederson. Sources indicated medical tests had shown there was an issue, with one telling BBC Sport the deal was off. However, sources at both clubs denied that was the case and stated no decision had been made around the transfer. It was thought Ederson remained in the United States. If the transfer did fall through, it would be the latest setback in what was turning out to be a difficult summer for the Old Trafford outfit. After finishing third last season, United prioritized strengthening their midfield ahead of a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. However, their hopes of signing first choice Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest ended when the England man's transfer fee spiraled up to £116m, a figure United were unwilling to match. Then they targeted Mateus Fernandes. However, a change of leadership at West Ham meant they had less need to make a quick sale and when Tottenham's interest in the Portugal international was made known, it soon became apparent to United that the final price - £85m - was a long way from the anticipated fee. United did offer the same figure, but it contained additional payments, and Fernandes chose Tottenham. In theory, Ederson had at least been signed by then, which meant some recruitment had been put in place before this week's deals involving Santos and Darlow were agreed. Now, fans were in limbo, waiting to discover whether the Ederson deal would go through.