Atalanta midfielder left baffled by Old Trafford u-turn

Atalanta midfielder Ederson has admitted he is at a loss to explain why his proposed summer move to Manchester United collapsed, confirming instead that he has committed his future to the Italian club with a new deal until June 2031.

The Brazilian had looked set to make the switch to Old Trafford in a reported £38m (€45m) deal in June, before being called up to Brazil's World Cup squad. However, when he returned from the tournament to undergo his medical, United claimed they found significant problems with his knee and ultimately pulled out of the move.

Ederson was left dumbfounded as to why his switch to England did not go through, speaking candidly about the episode in an interview with Sky Italia.

"I honestly don't know what happened," Ederson told Sky Italia. "I always had interest from other clubs, and I could have gone to another English side. The tests went well, I don't know what changed. I've been with Atalanta for four years and always played. I could have just waited to see what happened, but the great rapport with the club convinced me to stay and sign a new contract."

United move on without him

Since pulling the plug on Ederson, the Red Devils have completed moves for Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, while Brighton's Carlos Baleba is reportedly close to joining the club. Atalanta's director of sport, Cristiano Giuntoli, later admitted La Dea were "stunned" but said they were working on a deal to keep Ederson at the club long-term — a process that has now come to fruition.

A key man at Atalanta

Since signing from Salernitana in 2022, Ederson has made 182 appearances across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and helping the club win the Europa League in 2023-24. In 2025-26, none of his Atalanta team-mates won back possession more often than him (189), and he made the fourth-most passes in all competitions among Atalanta players (1,849), while also having the fourth-most touches (2,432).

Ederson has captained Atalanta in both their games so far this season, leading the team to a 2-1 win over Sassuolo in their Serie A opener on Sunday — a fitting reward for a player who has chosen loyalty over a move that never was.