Report: Manu Koné is reason Manchester United found excuse to drop Ederson
Quick summary
Reports suggest Manchester United's interest in Roma midfielder Manu Koné led them to abandon their pursuit of Atalanta's Ederson.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceItalian media suggest Manchester United used the Ederson medical as an excuse to withdraw from the €45m Atalanta deal , so could now turn their focus to Roma’s France international Manu Kone instead.
Multiple sources reported this evening that Manchester United had informed Atalanta of their intention to abandon the transfer, which had been agreed back on June 2.
It would’ve been €40.5m fixed fee plus a further €4.5m in performance-related add-ons.
Manchester United saw Kone opportunity with Ederson BERGAMO, ITALY – APRIL 22: Ederson of Atalanta BC celebrates with his team-mates his goal that was later disallowed by VAR during the Coppa Italia match between Atalanta BC and SS Lazio at New Balance Arena on April 22, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The two clubs agreed to wait until after Ederson had finished his participation at the 2026 World Cup with Brazil before completing the necessary medical tests, following an initial quick check-up in the United States.
However, as the weeks wore on, Manchester United started to get cold feet and requested more in-depth medical examinations.
After 48 hours of those scans, today the Premier League side informed Atalanta they would not be going ahead with the move.
According to the Italian media reporting of the situation, Atalanta are entirely confident there are no serious fitness issues for Ederson.
They believe it is no coincidence that Manchester United saw an opportunity to change their minds after the rumours of growing interest in Roma midfielder Manu Kone.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 30: Manu Kone #6 of France inspects the pitch before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images) The two play very similar roles, so buying both for a total cost of around €100m would be excessive even for the Old Trafford side.
If they have withdrawn from the Ederson move, it is now far more likely that they will dive in with a proposal for Roma’s Kone.
He has seen his value and profile soar after performances for France at the 2026 World Cup, where he pushed Aurelien Tchaouameni out of the starting XI.
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What happened
According to reports from football-italia.net, Manchester United have shifted their midfield transfer focus from Atalanta's Ederson to Roma's Manu Koné. The French-Guinean midfielder has emerged as a key target, effectively giving United a reason to walk away from negotiations for the Brazilian Ederson. This represents a change in direction for United's summer midfield recruitment strategy, with Koné now viewed as the priority option in that department.
Chance analysis
Switching targets mid-window between two elite Serie A midfielders suggests United's recruitment is reactive rather than fully planned. Koné offers a different profile from Ederson — younger, more box-to-box — and Roma's bargaining position (no urgent need to sell) could complicate negotiations compared to Atalanta. For match prediction purposes, this is background transfer noise with no direct impact on upcoming fixtures until signings are confirmed.
Manchester United's midfield recruitment priority has shifted from Ederson (Atalanta) to Manu Koné (Roma), with no confirmed signing yet.
Treat as low-priority transfer speculation; do not adjust any current match predictions until a signing is officially confirmed.