Atalanta’s 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder Ederson has reportedly communicated his preference to join Atletico Madrid this summer, rebuffing advances from two of England’s biggest clubs in the process.
According to Pulse Sports, citing Fotbalportal, Ederson has informed interested parties that his priority is to work under Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone. Arsenal had identified the midfielder as a primary target, while Manchester United were reportedly exploring a player-plus-cash arrangement involving Joshua Zirkzee as part of any potential agreement.
Ederson joined Atalanta in 2022 and has since established himself as one of the most reliable defensive midfielders on the continent, playing a key role in La Dea’s Europa League title triumph. A switch to the Spanish capital would place him alongside a group of familiar faces at the Wanda Metropolitano — Atletico having already secured former Atalanta players Juan Musso, Matteo Ruggeri, and Nigeria international Ademola Lookman in recent transfer windows.
Despite the clear personal preference expressed by Ederson, a deal between the two clubs is not yet close. Atalanta are understood to be holding firm on a valuation of approximately €40 million, even as the midfielder enters the final year of his contract — a factor that would typically strengthen a buying club’s negotiating position. Atletico Madrid’s current offer is reported to fall short of that figure.
To close the gap, Atletico are reportedly drawing on the goodwill built through their recent business with the Bergamo club. The successful completions of the Lookman, Musso, and Ruggeri transfers have cultivated a working relationship between the two clubs that Atletico’s hierarchy are now hoping to leverage in negotiations over Ederson.
Lookman’s move to Atletico Madrid last summer attracted considerable attention, particularly given the Nigerian winger’s outstanding 2023-24 season in which he scored a hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen. His continued presence at the Wanda Metropolitano, alongside Musso and Ruggeri, underlines the depth of the recruitment corridor that has opened up between Serie A’s Atalanta and La Liga’s Atletico.
Whether Atalanta’s valuation and Atletico’s budget can be reconciled remains the central question. With Ederson contracted for only one more season, Atalanta face a commercial decision over whether to sell now at their asking price or risk losing him for a reduced fee — or potentially nothing — at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. No timeline for further negotiations has been reported.
