Midfielder snubs Manchester United and Arsenal in favour of Atletico Madrid move | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid are already in the process of working on deals they wish to complete during this summer’s transfer window. A new midfielder is of top priority for sporting director Mateu Alemany, and a leading target has already been identified: Ederson dos Santos.

The Atalanta and Brazil midfielder has been on Atleti’s radar for some time, and despite failing to get a deal over the line in January, they have not been deterred. Talks have been taking place in recent weeks, with the hope that everything will be finalised before the summer transfer window opens at the start of July.

The chances of Ederson moving to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano are increasing, as Diario AS have reported that he has turned down approaches from a number of clubs, such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Juventus and Inter. The 26-year-old has made it clear that his clear priority is to join Diego Simeone’s squad.

Ederson deal on the rocks despite player stance

Atleti have established a good relationship with Atalanta in recent years, with the two clubs having already done deals for Juan Musso, Matteo Ruggeri, Giacomo Raspadori and Ademola Lookman. But despite this, Los Colchoneros are yet to come close to the Serie A side’s valuation for their player, while it is also noted that an agreement with Ederson himself is also yet to be reached.

Atalanta want to finalise Ederson’s sale before the summer transfer window opens, but they will not do so for below their valuation. Meanwhile, the Brazil international wants to receive a better financial package before agreeing to join Atleti, which has placed further doubts on whether he will join.

Atleti are not in a rush to close any agreements, although they still hope to do so before July. There is still a number of weeks until then, hence why they are acting without much haste.