Manchester United are still working to get their major summer transfer over the line despite reports the deal has been called off. The Red Devils swiftly agreed a fee of £34million plus add-ons to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson this summer, kicking off their business before the player flew to North America with the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

Red Devils chiefs then flew to the US to hold a medical with the player, but Brazil’s medical staff were present to monitor and police the testing, given they understandably wouldn’t want the player’s body to be put under any demands that would risk injury and overload during the tournament.

That seems to have complicated the deal a little, and there are reports that the deal has been called off, but Fabrizio Romano is claiming otherwise.

Romano clears up Ederson to Man Utd transfer details

According to transfer guru Romano, United’s stance remains the same in that they want a second medical to be held at their own base before they sign off on the deal. He said on his YouTube show: “Ederson will undergo a medical this week, so it will be this week at Manchester United. There will be Ederson taking a medical in the UK, because Man United made the first check in the US, and they want to do more checks with their own staff in England. At the moment, the deal is still not confirmed.

“So today I can tell you, Ederson to Met United, here we go. In the sense of what I told you in June, agreement between all parties, the player is having a medical, it’s all agreed verbally, but to tell you, is Ederson to Manchester United closed, signed, completed? Not yet at this stage, not yet. And we have to be careful, because there is a medical to do in England, and Man United will then communicate to Atalanta and to the player what they feel about that medical.”

Can Man Utd afford to cancel Ederson deal?

United have already had trouble signing transfer targets this summer, missing out on Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham, and they are yet to find the marquee holding midfield signing they are looking for to replace Casemiro.

Michael Carrick wants two midfield signings this summer, and given how hard it has been to find a second, it would be a bold move to call off the deal for the first. That would leave United in a tricky position with the summer already flying by.

If there is a medical issue, then that is another question, but most fans will likely be pleased that the Red Devils will do their due diligence and that they are still planning to go ahead with the deal as long as all goes well during the medical.

Arsenal are ready to bolster their midfield options this summer, and they are now in contact over a deal to sign another Brazil star alongside Bruno Guimaraes.

The Gunners have made the Newcastle United captain their top target for the window, and the 28-year-old has informed the Magpies that he wishes to leave the club in order to make the switch to north London, with a £60m bid being prepared.

But now it has emerged that he isn’t the only Brazilian that Mikel Arteta is looking at to bolster his options in the centre of the pitch, with talks underway for one of his international teammates.

Arsenal Hold Talks to Sign Danilo Santos

REUTERS/Marco Bello

According to O Dia, via Sport Witness, Arsenal are one of the clubs who have been in talks over a deal to sign Botafogo star Danilo Santos.

Santos, who was previously at Nottingham Forest, has enjoyed a successful spell back in his homeland and was part of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the World Cup this summer. He managed just 44 minutes over the five games, making four substitute appearances, but couldn’t stop them being eliminated by Norway in the Round of 16.

Botafogo had been hoping that he would continue his good form in the tournament in order to raise his asking price, but a lack of game time put a stop to that.

Arsenal are understood to have been in talks with the player’s camp for several months, and have been keeping a close eye on his situation.

Botafogo are currently valuing Danilo at around £30m, and now are waiting to find out if interested clubs are going to make their attempts to sign the midfielder concrete or not following the World Cup.

Arsenal Don’t Need Danilo

Arsenal showed last season that their squad is among the strongest in world football, and they were on the brink of a historic league and Champions League double.

Should they sign Guimaraes, he will join up with Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, and Christian Norgaard as senior options for central midfield. Norgaard may well leave, but Danilo doesn’t need to come in, because Myles Lewis-Skelly showed he is more than capable of making that position his own too.

Arsenal don’t need to do lots of work on their squad, and they shouldn’t spend money or add players for the sake of it. Danilo doesn’t improve them, so this feels like a deal to avoid at this stage.

Arsenal already know how much they will have to pay to sign Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes amid a bombshell informal transfer request. The Gunners are hoping to sign a new number 8 and a left-winger at a minimum this summer as they look to take the next step in their evolution, especially in Europe.

Newcastle star Guimaraes has been linked, but Arsenal’s chances of striking a deal were impacted by Tottenham signing Guimaraes’ midfield partner Sandro Tonali. Newcastle also lost Anthony Gordon this summer, leaving them with lots to do.

But on Wednesday it emerged that Guimaraes had asked the Magpies to leave, with his clear preference being Arsenal. That will have excited Gunners fans, but there are many more steps to be ticked off before a deal can be done.

Romano issues fresh Guimaraes to Arsenal transfer update

via Reuters

Transfer guru provided the full context to the Guimaraes situation on his YouTube show on Wednesday evening. He said: “My understanding is on the player side, Bruno Guimaraes wants to go to Arsenal. Bruno Guimaraes has clear desire to go to Arsenal, and personal terms would not be an issue. So, Bruno wants to go to London and wants to go to Arsenal. Then Bruno Guimaraes, from what I understand, didn’t tell Newcastle something in Alexander Isak story style, like one year ago, ‘Sell me or I’m not gonna stay here’.

“Bruno Guimaraes wants to be respectful with Newcastle. If Newcastle can reach an agreement with Arsenal, Bruno will be happy to go to Arsenal. If this doesn’t happen, Bruno Guimaraes will not create problems for Newcastle.

“So it’s a different attitude by Bruno..Bruno is not saying sell me or I’m going to create issues, that’s really important to mention. But Bruno wants to go to Arsenal, and now what is going to happen next? My understanding: sources involved and close to the story say that a transfer fee maybe around 90million could be the beginning of the discussion. Arsenal, from my understanding, are not offering 90 million at least at this stage, so it has to be negotiated.”

Arsenal may face transfer conundrum with Guimaraes

Arsenal have spent huge money over the last few transfer windows, and they will naturally have to tread carefully when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules Having become a profit machine during their success of late, the Gunners can still spend big money, but they will need to balance their spend, at least partially, with sales.

The question is whether they can afford to spent £90million on Guimaraes and then go and spend a similar – or even greater – total on a winger. The Gunners like Morgan Rogers, but he could cost £130million, and if they end up paying that money, a £90million deal for Guimaraes is likely out of the question unless they can sell one of their more expensive and important players. It’s also worth keeping in mind that both Guimaraes and Rogers – or whichever attacker Arsenal go with – are also going to be expecting huge wages.