Manchester United lead Manchester City in race for €60m-rated Ederson | OneFootball

Manchester United reportedly have their noses in front of Manchester City in the race for Atalanta midfielder Ederson, who is coveted by both clubs.

The 25-year-old has once again impressed in Serie A this season and is a key part of an Atalanta side currently sitting third in the table.

But with both Manchester clubs keen to add fresh legs to their tiring midfields, the Brazilian could be set for a Premier League switch this summer.

According to Fichajes we should be braced for “an intense battle” between the clubs, both of whom have “set their sights” on Ederson as a key target.

Both clubs are “ready to engage in a struggle to secure his services” and will have to fork out around €60m for the player, who is emerging as “one of the major protagonists of the upcoming transfer period.”

United are specialists in drawn-out transfer sagas for midfield targets, having spent months on a fruitless pursuit of Frenkie de Jong a couple of years ago and leaving it late to finally sign Manuel Ugarte last summer.

But Fichajes suggest that the Red Devils are already in a strong position for Ederson, reporting that “contacts with his circle are well advanced, putting United a step ahead in the race.”

They caution that City are “not willing to fall behind” and cite uncertainty over Bernardo Silva’s future as a key reason for their determination.

However, there is the familiar kicker that Atalanta are “in no rush to sell and will leverage the interest from these clubs to maximise profits”, which could see the player move somewhere else entirely.

With United’s finances famously tight, and City’s notoriously expansive, a bidding war does not work in Ruben Amorim’s favour if he is keen on bringing the player in to replace Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the engine room.

Although Fichajes manage to cast doubt on that themselves – whether an honest typo or an indication of the story’s reliability, they note that the player “attracts both Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag.”

That aside, Ederson will certainly be a hot topic over the next few months and whether or not United are in the mix Fichajes are probably correct in saying that “the war for Ederson is just beginning.”

Featured image Francesco Scaccianoce via Getty Images

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