Manchester United’s pursuit of Brazilian midfielder Ederson has been abandoned at the final hurdle. The Old Trafford hierarchy informed Atalanta on Wednesday that it would not proceed with a transfer that had been all but sealed, after a round of additional medical examinations raised concerns over the 26-year-old’s left knee. The decision, confirmed by multiple sources close to the negotiations, came days after Brazil’s elimination from the 2026 World Cup and leaves the player facing an unexpected return to Bergamo.

The deal had been structured as a £35 million fixed fee with a further £4 million in bonuses, and Ederson had already agreed personal terms on a four-year contract with an option for a fifth. Viewed from Milan, the collapse was met with bemusement: Atalanta’s medical staff maintain the midfielder is in full physical condition and ready for pre-season. The Italian club, which saw Ederson win the Europa League in 2024 and earn a late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, expects to reintegrate him immediately. Yet the player himself, according to reports in the Brazilian and Italian press, still harbours hope of a late change of heart from United.

United’s urgency in the market is driven by a hollowed-out midfield. The departures of Casemiro and a long-term ligament injury to Manuel Ugarte left new manager Michael Carrick with a threadbare central unit. The club moved swiftly to secure a £48 million deal for Chelsea’s Andrey Santos, a fellow Brazilian, who is now only a medical away from being unveiled. Attention has also turned to AS Roma’s Manu Koné as an alternative target, with analysts in London noting that the failed Ederson pursuit has forced a rapid recalibration of a summer window initially focused on the centre of the pitch.

The ripple effects extend to the flanks. Barcelona’s confirmed signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for €70 million, coupled with a €30 million agreement for Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, effectively closes the door on a permanent move for Marcus Rashford. The England forward spent last season on loan at the Camp Nou, registering 14 goals and 10 assists, but the Catalan club’s heavy attacking investment makes a return to Manchester increasingly probable. Carrick’s preference for a 4-2-3-1 shape, in contrast to Ruben Amorim’s system, offers a natural home for Rashford on the left, and the 28-year-old academy graduate could yet be reintegrated into a squad that finished third in the Premier League.

For Ederson, the immediate future is a return to Atalanta, where he has been a mainstay since 2023. United, meanwhile, will press ahead with the Santos signing and continue to assess midfield options, with the club’s summer business now shaped as much by medical due diligence as by the demands of a squad in transition.