Manchester United are close to reaching a full agreement for Michael Carrick’s first signing, with talks over a fee to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson at the final stages, according to Sky Sports.

Man United are wasting no time in their bid to strengthen the squad ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, with new players needed to boost a squad that will be wanting to fight strongly on two fronts in the 2026-27 campaign, as well as in the domestic cup competitions.

With the start of the World Cup a fortnight away, the Red Devils appear to be taking their opportunity to wrap up some transfer business early, given some of their transfer targets are likely to be taking part in the tournament in North America.

Ederson missed out on a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad, which will be a positive for United as it means he can join up with them for the start of pre-season should a deal go ahead.

The Red Devils’ recruitment team have identified central midfield as a key position for months, with Casemiro’s summer exit being confirmed in January, and a general shortage of quality and depth in that area.

Man United Agreement for Ederson Broken Down

According to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, posting on X, Manchester United are close to agreeing a deal with Atalanta to sign Ederson.

The ‘world-class’ Brazilian has already agreed terms on a five-year contract, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, with a club-to-club agreement now on the verge of being reached.

According to Sky Sports, the deal will be worth around €44m (£38m), with the deal being broken down to €40.5m guaranteed for the Serie A outfit, and a further €3.5m in add-ons.

The outlet add that a full agreement could be reached by the end of the week, which is just over 24 hours away.

Man United Chasing Other Midfield Transfers

While United work on a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta, a report from Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb at the weekend suggested they are also close to an agreement to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.

Calciomercato had reported previously that Carrick wanted the Italy international to be his first signing at Old Trafford ahead of Ederson, showing how keen he is on a deal.

Negotiations with Newcastle are likely to be more difficult though, with the Magpies said to value the 26-year-old at €100m (£86m), which is a significantly higher fee than Ederson’s.

Still, the Red Devils are ready to put big money behind the right Casemiro replacement, so we can’t rule out a big-money Tonali deal in the coming weeks.

United continue to look at other midfield options too, with Manuel Ugarte potentially joining Casemiro through the Old Trafford exit door, with Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United and Carlos Baleba of Brighton and Hove Albion two more Premier League-based targets.

As with Ederson, the Red Devils are exploring opportunities from abroad too, with Real Madrid duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde both linked in recent weeks, having been involved in a big behind-scenes bust-up on the training pitch.

Manchester United enjoyed a fine season in 2025/26, finishing up in third place and claiming a spot in next season’s Champions League competition.

The Red Devils finished 14 points off top, but also 14 points above sixth-placed Bournemouth, showing their quality, with captain Bruno Fernandes leading the way with his performances in a record-breaking campaign in which he registered 21 assists in the Premier League, more than anyone else in the history of the division.

But the record-breaking assist for the Portugal international, which came on the final day in the 3-0 win over Brighton, was shrouded in controversy, with some calling for it to be recorded as an own goal after Patrick Dorgu’s header rebounded off the crossbar and hit the hand of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen before going in.

The Premier League have since confirmed that the record will stand, after the dubious goal panel gave Dorgu the goal, but one ex-Man Utd star has called for them to reconsider their decision.

Man Utd Icon Wants Fernandes Assist Chalked Off

Plenty of rival fans have been calling for the assist to be scrapped, with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne previously holding the record of 20 assists in a Premier League season.

And while speaking to BetVictor, via The Sun, former Man Utd midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba was asked for his opinion on the situation, and he revealed that he is in the same boat and feels that it should be chalked off.

“I think it should be chalked off,” he said.

“You can clearly see what happened. The ball did not cross the line properly and it came back off the goalkeeper into the net.

“In my opinion, they need to remove it. If the rules are the rules, then it should not count as an assist.”

Djemba-Djemba is widely regarded as one of the worst signings from the Sir Alex Ferguson era, having played just 39 games for the club over 18 months before leaving for Aston Villa.

Fernandes Deserves Assist Record

Assists have always been a bit of a weird phenomenon in football, because you be credited with one for a sideways one yard pass, and receive nothing at all if you dribble past the whole team and play a pass to someone else who sets up the goal.

But what Fernandes did this season, while playing as a holding midfielder for much of the campaign under Ruben Amorim in a struggling team, before leading the side to a third-place finish and registering goals or assists against all but three opponents this season, tells you how good he was.

Some replays show that the ball was heading in before the touch off the goalkeeper, while others show the opposite. There’s nothing concrete, and therefore it would be crazy for the league to take the assist, and therefore the record, away from him.

With UFC Freedom 250 now less than three weeks away, company CEO Dana White has revealed the one fight he wanted on the card that “slipped” away.

Preparations are already underway for the landmark event on the south lawn of the White House, which takes place on the 14th of June. The card has been timed to celebrate both the USA’s 250th anniversary and the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump.

The President has been heavily involved in putting the card together for the event, even playing a key role in adding an extra fight to the show. Freedom 250 is set to be one of the most stacked UFC shows in recent memory, with two title fights set to take place.

UFC Freedom 250 Card Explored

Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira will compete for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship, before Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje meet for the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship.

In addition, high-profile fighters such as Sean O’Malley, Michael Chandler and Derrick Lewis will also step into the Octagon during the most culturally significant card in UFC history.

With a line-up packed with current and former champions, the promotion has delivered a top-tier card for the show, but Dana has admitted he would have loved to have added a third title fight to the bill.

The UFC White House Fight That Slipped Away

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, White revealed that he had hoped to host a women’s title bout on the card. The fight in question would have seen Mackenzie Dern defending her UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Weili Zhang.

The bout would have seen Zhang handed the chance to regain the belt that she vacated when she moved up to flyweight to challenge titleholder Valentina Shevchenko.

However, the UFC were unsuccessful in booking Dern vs Zhang as the Chinese fighter wanted to take more time off before resuming her UFC career. Her last bout took place when she lost to Shevchenko at UFC 322 in November 2025.

“We did try to make a women’s fight. We couldn’t get it done,” declared White of the bout. As a result, there will be no female fighters on next month’s show.

Due to the work involved in clearing fighters and the cornermen to access the grounds of the White House, Freedom 250 will feature just seven fights in total. It is not uncommon for UFC events to feature almost twice that number of bouts.

Despite having to compromise when it comes to the number of fights on the card and dealing with other logistical issues, White is fiercely proud of the show he plans to put on next month. He even admits that he will lose a significant amount of money in the process.

“This is basically me spending a ­s***load of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world,” he conceded.