Manchester United are targeting not one but two Atalanta players this summer, and the ambition behind the plan says a lot about where Michael Carrick wants to take the club. According to reports from the Mirror and Goal, United are eyeing midfielder Ederson and striker Mateo Retegui — and they may look to use Joshua Zirkzee as a makeweight to sweeten the deal for Ederson.
If even half of this comes off, it would represent a dramatic statement of intent. Retegui is one of Serie A's most dangerous strikers. Ederson is the engine of the best midfield in Italian football. Getting both would cost serious money — but United are apparently serious.
Who Is Ederson?
Not the Man City goalkeeper — this is Ederson Honorato Campos, the Brazilian midfielder who has been one of the most impressive players in Serie A over the past two seasons. Atalanta's No.8 is a complete midfielder in the truest sense: he wins the ball, carries it, breaks up opposition attacks, and delivers in the final third. He's the kind of player who makes the whole team tick.
Juventus came for him. Inter came for him. Man City were linked. The fact United have now joined the queue tells you everything about how highly he's rated — and how intent Carrick is on rebuilding the engine room at Old Trafford. Atalanta are holding firm at around £50m, but a swap deal involving Zirkzee could lower the cash element significantly.
Zirkzee's time at United hasn't gone as hoped. The Dutch striker arrived with high expectations but has never quite clicked at Old Trafford. Atalanta, a club that develops technical forwards superbly, could be a better fit — and using him as currency for Ederson would represent a smart piece of business on United's part.
Retegui: The Striker United Have Been Missing
Mateo Retegui is a different kind of target — a centre-forward with a relentless edge. The Argentina-born Italy international had a breakout season under Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta, finishing as one of the top scorers in Serie A. He's physical, intelligent in the box, and has shown he can deliver in big European nights too.
United's striker situation has been uncertain for a while. Rasmus Hojlund has shown flashes but hasn't been consistent enough to carry the side. Marcus Rashford's future remains unresolved. Bringing in a proven 25-goal-a-season striker who just won Serie A's Golden Boot would fix the most pressing position in the squad in one move.
The combined cost of landing both players — even with Zirkzee included — would likely exceed £100m. That's a big ask, but it's the scale of rebuild that United need if they're serious about competing for the title in the next two or three years.
Why Atalanta Would Sell
Atalanta are one of Europe's most impressive clubs right now — serial Champions League qualifiers, excellent developers of talent, financially sustainable. But they're also realistic. Players who hit a certain level attract certain clubs, and at some point those players want the move. Retegui has been linked with Premier League interest for over a year. Ederson has been the subject of bids from multiple Serie A rivals.
If United come with the right offer, Atalanta will listen. They always do. And then they'll go sign two more players from the Portuguese second division who nobody has heard of, and the whole process starts again. It's a remarkable operation.
What It Means for United Under Carrick
This is the clearest signal yet that Carrick's summer rebuild is going to be ambitious rather than cautious. United tried the cautious approach for years — incremental improvements, squad depth signings, waiting for academy players to come through. The results spoke for themselves.
A double swoop for two of the best players in Italian football, packaged around a smart swap deal, is exactly the kind of decisive move that could shift the conversation. Not just about who United are signing, but about who United are again.
Whether it all comes together remains to be seen. But the ambition? That's already there.
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