Manchester United’s pursuit of Ederson is over. What began in June as one of the club’s more straightforward pieces of transfer business — an agreed fee, agreed personal terms, seemingly a formality away from completion — has ended in a collapsed medical, a stunned selling club and a definitive denial from Fabrizio Romano that the deal will be revisited this summer.
Here is the full story of how the Ederson transfer fell apart, what United’s medical team found, how Atalanta have responded, and where it leaves Michael Carrick’s goalkeeping options heading into the new season.
What was the Ederson to Manchester United deal?
United and Atalanta agreed the framework of a deal for Ederson at the start of June, with Sky Sports reporting a fee in the region of £38m before the move stalled. Other reports, relayed through Fabrizio Romano’s network, put the total package closer to £45m including add-ons. Personal terms with the player were also understood to be settled at that point, with a medical and official announcement expected to follow in early July.
Ederson’s involvement with Brazil at the World Cup complicated the timeline. A late call-up to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, following an injury to Wesley, meant the goalkeeper could not travel for a full medical straight away, and an initial, more basic round of tests was carried out in the United States while he was away on international duty.
Why did Ederson’s Manchester United medical fail?
United had already halted the move once before over a fresh medical concern earlier in the window, before Wednesday’s confirmation closed the door for good. The substantive medical took place in England after Ederson’s return from the World Cup, conducted by United’s own club doctors. According to Sky Sports, the deal is “not proceeding at the current price” as a direct result of issues identified during that examination. BBC Sport’s Simon Stone went further, reporting the move had been “scrapped” after United’s medical staff raised concerns over the 27-year-old’s knee.
Those concerns are understood to centre on Ederson’s injury history, including a previous meniscus problem, which raised questions for United’s medical staff about the longer-term durability of the joint — despite the player having passed his initial tests in the US. Fabrizio Romano’s reporting adds that the more thorough examination was held last week, and that sporting director Jason Wilcox was central to the decision to walk away once the results came back.
What has Fabrizio Romano said about the deal?
Romano’s central update, delivered today, is the clearest sign yet that this is not a temporary pause. He has described the move as “completely over” and dismissed talk of United reopening talks in August as “not true.” The Athletic had earlier floated the possibility that United could revisit the deal later in the window at a renegotiated price, but Romano’s latest reporting closes that door for now.
How has Atalanta reacted to Manchester United pulling out?
Atalanta’s response has been pointed. Sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli told a press conference the club was “stunned” by United’s decision, adding that Ederson “is happy to remain” in Bergamo and that the club are “working on a new contract” to tie him down. Giuntoli has since confirmed Romano’s line directly, stating that the move to Old Trafford “is over.”
The Italian club’s position throughout has been that United’s level of concern was disproportionate to the medical evidence, pointing to Ederson having passed his earlier tests at Brazil’s World Cup training base. That gap between the two clubs’ medical assessments is ultimately what ended the deal.
Where does this leave Manchester United’s goalkeeper situation?
Ederson was being lined up as senior competition — potentially the long-term successor — to Senne Lammens, whose World Cup with Belgium included a high-profile error and a public criticism from Zlatan Ibrahimović. United have not been left short-handed regardless: Karl Darlow has already been confirmed as a new addition until 2028, while Orlando Gill has also been floated as competition for the gloves. But neither arrives with the top-level profile United had hoped Ederson would bring, and the goalkeeping department remains an area to watch as pre-season progresses.
The timing matters, too. United’s summer spending has been concentrated elsewhere — Youri Tielemans has already arrived to reshape the midfield alongside Andrey Santos, and the club’s search for a third midfielder — including Manu Koné, Carlos Baleba and Ayyoub Bouaddi — has continued through this week. A collapsed goalkeeper deal does not change that broader plan, but it does mean Carrick heads into pre-season with a settled outfield rebuild and an unsettled picture between the posts, at a club where scrutiny of any goalkeeping uncertainty tends to be immediate and unforgiving.
Could Manchester United revisit an Ederson transfer?
On the evidence of today’s reporting, no — not this summer. Romano has been explicit that suggestions of an August reunion are wide of the mark, and Atalanta’s focus has visibly shifted to extending Ederson’s contract rather than facilitating a lower-priced exit. A return to the table in a future window cannot be ruled out entirely if United’s medical concerns are eased over time, but there is nothing in the current reporting to suggest that is close.
It also leaves a live question over exactly what United’s medical staff found. Neither club has published the details of the examination, and Atalanta’s public position — that Ederson passed comparable tests in the US only weeks earlier — means the two sides are, in effect, disputing the same set of facts. Until United or Atalanta go further than the general “knee concern” framing already reported, supporters are left to take the collapse at face value: a deal United themselves walked away from, at a point when personal terms and a fee were already broadly agreed.
Timeline: How the Ederson transfer unravelled
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| Early June 2026 | United and Atalanta agree a fee (reported £38m–£45m); personal terms understood to be settled with Ederson. |
| Late June 2026 | Ederson receives late World Cup call-up for Brazil after injury to Wesley; initial medical tests held in the US. |
| Week of 6 July 2026 | Ederson returns from the World Cup and undergoes a fuller medical with United’s club doctors in England. |
| 11–13 July 2026 | Reports emerge that United have paused, then halted, the move over medical concerns with his knee. |
| 14 July 2026 | Atalanta director Cristiano Giuntoli says the club are “stunned,” confirms Ederson wants to stay and that a new contract is being discussed. |
| 15 July 2026 | Fabrizio Romano confirms the move is “completely over,” dismissing any prospect of a August return; Giuntoli confirms the same. |
Manchester United Ederson Transfer: Facts
Is Manchester United still trying to sign Ederson? No. As of 15th July 2026, Fabrizio Romano and Atalanta director Cristiano Giuntoli have both confirmed the move is over, with no active talks ongoing.
Why did the Ederson transfer collapse? United’s medical team raised concerns over his knee during a fuller examination in England, related to his previous meniscus injury, despite the player passing earlier tests carried out in the United States.
How much was the reported transfer fee? Figures varied by outlet, with Sky Sports reporting around £38m and other reports suggesting a total package closer to £45m with add-ons. No fee was ever finalised as the deal did not complete.
Could United sign Ederson in a future window? Nothing currently reported points to that. Atalanta are working on a new contract to keep him, and Romano has dismissed suggestions of a return to talks in August.
What is clear is that United’s search for goalkeeping reinforcements is not finished with Ederson’s exit from the conversation. Karl Darlow’s arrival and the futures of Senne Lammens and Orlando Gill will shape how Michael Carrick sets up between the posts for the new season, and further movement in that department would not be a surprise before the window closes.
