The transfer window may only officially open in the Premier League today, but Manchester United have already secured one deal this summer. Ederson has not yet put pen to paper to confirm his switch to Old Trafford, but the 26-year-old will become a United player soon. A fee of £35 million plus £3.8 million in add-ons has been agreed with Atalanta, and the Brazilian midfielder will sign a contract until 2030, with the option of a further year.
He is the first piece of the jigsaw in the midfield rebuild this summer, and it is the centre of the pitch that continues to dominate thoughts at United. With Casemiro leaving and plans afoot to sell Manuel Ugarte, two more midfielders could yet arrive.
It looks almost certain that Elliot Anderson will not be one of them. United have stepped away from that transfer tussle, with Manchester City having a bid worth as much as £120 million rejected. Instead, United's current focus is on Mateus Fernandes. They are leading the chase for West Ham's 21-year-old midfielder and will seek to negotiate with the Hammers on their demands for more than £80 million.
Beyond Fernandes, United retain an interest in Carlos Baleba at Brighton and Bournemouth's Alex Scott as they look to reshape their midfield. Whether they sign a third midfielder will depend on attempts to sell Ugarte, with Galatasaray among the clubs interested. United would prefer a sale, but could end up with a loan that includes an obligation to buy.
Aside from the midfield, a left-back is also a priority as cover for Luke Shaw. United are keen on Lewis Hall at Newcastle and would prefer to sign a younger left-back as a successor to Shaw. That position is now considered more pressing than the left-wing, although there is still interest in Morgan Rogers at Aston Villa and Everton's Iliman Ndiaye, with Premier League experience a positive for recruitment chiefs at Old Trafford.
Signing an experienced striker to assist Benjamin Sesko is also on the agenda, particularly if Joshua Zirkzee leaves. Although Zirkzee is not pushing for a move as he was six months ago, he has not played much under Carrick and could be offered more first-team football elsewhere.
Elsewhere, United face a tricky task of negotiating departures for some of their highest earners. Andre Onana will return from a loan at Trabzonspor but has no future at the club, with Senne Lammens now established as the number one. Marcus Rashford's case is even more difficult. Rashford is one of the highest earners at the club and his £325,000-a-week salary will be difficult to offload, with Barcelona moving for Antony Gordon instead. There will be interest in Rashford this summer, with United not planning to reintegrate him into the squad, but any deal will require plenty of negotiation and compromise. Bayern Munich are among those interested, while clubs in the Premier League are also monitoring Rashford's situation.
As well as Onana, there could be a couple more exits from the goalkeeping department at Old Trafford. Altay Bayindir is keen to leave to play first-team football elsewhere, while the time might be right to cash in on 22-year-old Radek Vitek, who has enjoyed an outstanding loan at Bristol City. Vitek wants to play regularly rather than sit on the bench as a number two, which is going to create a vacancy for a backup goalkeeper. Karl Darlow and Sam Johnstone are two names on a long list as United weigh up options in goal.
