Ademola Lookman stops Man Utd signing ELITE midfielder

Ademola Lookman‘s potential move to Inter Milan may end Man Utd‘s hopes of signing his Atalanta teammate Ederson.

It has been reported by multiple reliable outlets for several months now that Atalanta midfielder Ederson is a summer target for United.

Alfredo Pedulla, perhaps Italy’s most reliable transfer journalist, reported at the end of May that United had held multiple talks for the player with a view to a summer bid.

However, United have been prioritising other targets such as Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha – and that may now cost them dear with regards to Ederson.

Ederson unlikely now for Man Utd

Atalanta have already sold Serie A top scorer Mateo Retegui to Al-Qadsiah for €67.5 million and now they are in talks to sell star man Ademola Lookman to Inter.

Inter have tabled a new bid of €42m plus €3m in bonuses, with the gap from Atalanta’s asking price of €45m plus €5m in bonuses now not far off.

Should Lookman complete his move to Inter, then Pedulla reports that Atalanta intend to keep hold of Ederson.

They plan for Lookman to be the last major departure of the summer and wish to extend Ederson’s contract that expires in 2027.

They will have more money to give him a better salary, and Pedulla says that it would take a massive offer to change their plans.

Ederson is regarded as possibly the most consistent central midfielder in Serie A over the last two years, with Fabio Capello considering him world class.

He really sold himself to a worldwide audience with his brilliant performance in Atalanta’s Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen last year.

Ederson functions mostly as a box to box midfielder, but he can play as a defensive midfielder and as a more attacking central midfielder.

Importantly, he boasts intensity, fierce tackling and pressing, and superb stamina that sees him cover lots of ground and never stop running.

The Brazilian played a key role in Atalanta winning the Europa League last season and he produced a world class performance in the 3-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in the final.

Ederson joined Atalanta from Salernitana in 2022 and has gone on to make over 100 appearances, scoring 13 goals.

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