‘Forget all the stories’ – Fabrizio Romano reveals Ederson to Man Utd transfer truth

15 Jul 2026 07:48 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

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Transfer news insider Fabrizio Romano has delivered the definitive truth on Manchester United’s pursuit of Ederson.

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The Atalanta midfielder appeared poised to complete a move to Old Trafford when the Red Devils triggered his €40 million release clause and agreed personal terms with him.

However, an extensive medical revealed a problem, reportedly with the player’s knee, that United weren’t happy with. The result was that Ederson was sent back to the Serie A club with no transfer completed.

Current ETV

Éderson

M (C)

Atalanta

Éderson

M (C)

Atalanta

ETV Range

€29.9M - €36.6M

Man Utd have since gone on to sign Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, but some reports had indicated that they could revisit Ederson later in the transfer window if they were unable to land a marquee third midfield signing.

Romano has now revealed what he believes to be the state of play in the deal to bring the 27-year-old to the Premier League giants.

Ederson to Man Utd latest

“Today Atalanta director Cristiano Giuntoli confirmed exactly what I told you,” Romano told his YouTube channel.

“Ederson to Manchester United is over. Completely over. Some people said maybe Man Utd could come back in August. It's not true. Manchester United decided against signing Ederson and sent him back to Atalanta. Ederson is very sad and very disappointed.

“Giuntoli said today that Atalanta were stunned by what happened with Manchester United because they didn't expect it at all.

“He also confirmed Atalanta have offered Ederson a new contract because they want to keep the player.

“So the deal is completely off. Forget all the stories saying Manchester United could come back later. It was off on Friday, off on Saturday, off on Sunday, and finally on Monday it was confirmed.”

What this means for Man Utd

Looking forward in the transfer window, United need to address a lack of mobility in the heart of the pitch.

Michael Carrick has strong technical options in the midfield, but he lacks a player capable of covering ground. Andrey Santos and Tielemans are not noted for their mobility, while this is a notable weakness of Kobbie Mainoo, who was not picked in the Ruben Amorim era because of this reason.

The Red Devils will, however, remain active in the hunt for a new central midfield player, who is expected to be the highest profile of their three summer arrivals in this area.

They have already missed out on Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali, who have joined Manchester City and Tottenham respectively for lavish sums.

The profile of this major investment, though, has changed. Any incoming player to the midfield simply must be quick enough to complement Mainoo, Tielemans and Andrey Santos, else Carrick faces the prospect of his team simply being overrun through the middle.

While there’s still plenty of time to address the problem, the breakdown of the deal to sign Ederson nevertheless represents a substantial blow to Man Utd just days before pre-season training begins at Carrington.