UPDATE (10 July): Manchester United have since pulled out of the Éderson deal — full story here. The Andrey Santos transfer is unaffected. The article below is preserved as originally published.
Manchester United’s midfield rebuild is gathering pace. According to Fabrizio Romano, the club has a verbal agreement with Atalanta to sign Brazilian midfielder Éderson in a deal worth around €45m (£38.5m).
Éderson — the Atalanta midfielder, not to be confused with the Brazilian goalkeeper of the same name — has already completed a first, basic part of his medical. The full examination was put on hold while Brazil were still alive at the 2026 World Cup; with their tournament now over, the second part is expected to take place in England, and the deal should accelerate from here, per Football365 and FootballTransfers, both citing Romano.
And Éderson is not the only midfielder heading to Old Trafford. United have agreed a £50m deal (an initial £48m plus £2m in add-ons) to sign Brazil midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea — as first reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, and confirmed by Sky Sports and ESPN. Personal terms are in place, Santos has permission to undergo his medical, and Chelsea retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
The move comes with a twist in the background: United had been linked with Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouameni, but Romano reports the Frenchman has instead agreed a new contract at the Bernabéu — closing that door and pushing United to move decisively for both Éderson and Santos.
The summer window closes on Tuesday 1 September at 23:00 UK time — and with Michael Carrick staying in charge, more arrivals are expected before the new season kicks off.