Manchester United are set to confirm the arrival of Ederson after weeks of speculation surrounding the Brazilian midfielder’s future.
The move was accelerated when it became clear that Casemiro would be leaving Old Trafford at the conclusion of his contract with the club.
United’s thinking throughout this transfer window has been to replace Casemiro with not just one player, but potentially two separate signings.
Ederson will be the first arrival, coming in from Atalanta and understood to be the cheaper of the two midfield options United will welcome this summer.
Other targets including Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali have been considered, though price tags of around £100m could prove prohibitive for the club.
It initially appeared Ederson was heading to Atletico Madrid, but United moved swiftly to agree personal terms before opening club-to-club talks with Atalanta.
A fee of £35m has reportedly been agreed for the 26-year-old Brazilian, who has been described as “the strongest defensive midfielder in the world” by Italian content creator Damiano Coccia.
Ederson posted a passing accuracy of 89 percent per 90 minutes in 2025/26, compared to Casemiro’s 81 percent, while also recording 1.2 interceptions and 5.4 ball recoveries per game.
According to the Manchester Evening News, United are also on the verge of signing Colombian youngster Cristian Orozco from Fortaleza CEIF.
A preliminary agreement for the 17-year-old was struck last year, and the formalities have now been completed ahead of an official move this summer.
Orozco could not sign immediately due to strict South American rules preventing players from moving before they turn 18, which he will do in July.
The young midfielder has already visited Carrington and will travel to Manchester next month to officially put pen to paper on his deal.
Comparisons have been made between Orozco and both Casemiro and Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo, with one prominent analyst describing the Colombian as a “destroyer” in midfield “with leadership maturity far beyond his age.”
During the U17 CONMEBOL Championship in 2025, Orozco won 5.2 duels per game, a number that sits close to Casemiro’s 6.54 and Ederson’s 5.44 per 90 minutes last season.
Casemiro, who scored nine goals in 2025/26 — the highest tally of his career in a single season — left United on remarkably good terms despite a previously mixed spell in the Premier League.
Orozco has been celebrated by some as “the next Casemiro,” and analysts have highlighted his press resistance, energy, and strong recovery pace as standout attributes.
He is not expected to feature heavily in his debut senior season at Old Trafford, but is firmly viewed as a key part of United’s long-term midfield plans under Michael Carrick.