Man Utd closing in on £38m Ederson deal

Ederson has made 180 appearances for Atalanta, scoring 16 goals

Manchester United are in advanced talks to make Atalanta’s Brazil midfielder Ederson their first summer signing.

Multiple sources have told BBC Sport a deal is close to completion, with an initial fee of £35m, plus £3m in add-ons, likely for the 26-year-old.

Senior United officials played down speculation and say there is still no agreement for Ederson, who has 12 months left on his contract.

However, on the day they announced third-quarter profits of £37.7m for the nine months to 31 March - and chief executive Omar Berrada said he was “very positive about the club’s progress” - it is clear United are eager to build on their unexpected third-placed finish under new head coach Michael Carrick.

United do still owe a huge amount in outstanding transfer fees, which makes up the vast majority of the £482m owing in ‘trade and other payables’, and underlines the work needed to get their finances in order.

But they are determined to be competitive in the transfer market, while pledging not to fall into the trap of offering expensive long contracts as they have in the past.

United are prioritising strengthening central midfield this summer after the exit of Casemiro and uncertainty over Manuel Ugarte’s future.

Ideally they would like to make two, or possibly three, signings in that area - although it appears first choice Elliot Anderson would prefer to join Manchester City.

While it is not unknown for United to negotiate with more than one target before making a final decision, they appear to have opted to move early for Ederson, who has three full Brazil caps but has missed out on World Cup selection.

Atletico Madrid were thought to be keen on the player, who has spent the past four and a half years in Serie A - initially with Salernitana - but the Spanish side have plumped for Wolves’ Joao Gomes instead.

Another potential United target, Mateus Fernandes, is likely to be sold by West Ham this summer as they come to terms with the financial consequences of relegation to the Championship.

United were keen on Brighton’s Carlos Baleba last summer, but would look to sign the Cameroon international for a lot less than they were willing to offer 12 months ago after his underwhelming season.

Ederson was part of Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup long list of 55 players, but the midfielder - who turns 27 in July - did not make Brazil’s final 26.

With only five midfielders in the squad, the Selecao could yet regret not taking him to the tournament - although his country’s loss could be his possible new club’s gain.

Ederson would seem to have plenty to add to United, who are looking to bolster their midfield options.

His Brazilian compatriot Casemiro is leaving the Red Devils - and Manuel Ugarte could follow. Ederson offers more on the ball than the Uruguayan and is more dynamic around the field.

He is a midfielder in the mould of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes. After three splendid seasons in Italy with Atalanta, Ederson would seem overdue for a move - and may blame his final season in Serie A for missing out on the World Cup.

Old Trafford calls for big personalities, and the good news for United fans is Ederson has dealt well with difficult circumstances.

He made his name in Brazil’s first division with Cruzeiro, a huge club who - after a highly successful few years - were imploding under the weight of debts and off-the-field scandals.

The midfielder made his mark as a 20-year-old in 2019, standing out in a side that was hurtling towards relegation towards the second division.

More recently Ederson has been part of an Atalanta side that have consistently punched above their weight. Two years after their fine Europa League triumph the time has surely come for him to go in search of a bigger stage.

Meanwhile, United have confirmed it cost them £16.7m to dismiss former manager Ruben Amorim.

United sacked the former Sporting boss in January, less than 14 months after they paid £11m to bring him to the club from Portugal.

The exact figure was contained within the latest accounts. Amorim was sacked in January after a run of poor results and arguments with director of football Jason Wilcox over the team’s style of play.

Carrick won 12 of his 17 games in caretaker charge as United finished third in a season where they had initially targeted a Europa League spot - and the former Red Devils midfielder has since been appointed permanently.

The club also confirmed borrowings on a revolving credit facility on 31 March were £262.5m. With the addition of a £490.1m ($650m) debt which was a legacy of the Glazer takeover in 2005, plus the outstanding transfer fees, it means United’s three main areas of debt remain just under £1.3bn.

Nevertheless, Berrada is adamant the club are heading in the right direction on and off the pitch as he spoke of the “continuing positive impact of our business transformation initiatives”, which included two lots of redundancies.

The club also said work was continuing behind the scenes on its ambitious new 100,000-seater stadium project.

Man Utd closing in on £42m Ederson deal

Ederson has made 180 appearances for Atalanta, scoring 16 goals

Manchester United are in advanced talks to make Atalanta’s Brazil midfielder Ederson their first summer signing.

Multiple sources have told BBC Sport a deal is close to completion, with a fee of 48m euros (£41.6m) likely for the 26-year-old.

Senior United officials played down speculation and say there is still no agreement for Ederson, who has 12 months left on his contract.

However, on the day they announced third-quarter profits of £37.7m for the nine months to 31 March - and chief executive Omar Berrada said he was “very positive about the club’s progress” - it is clear United are eager to build on their unexpected third-placed finish under new head coach Michael Carrick.

United do still owe a huge amount in outstanding transfer fees, which makes up the vast majority of the £482m owing in ‘trade and other payables’, and underlines the work needed to get their finances in order.

But they are determined to be competitive in the transfer market, while pledging not to fall into the trap of offering expensive long contracts as they have in the past.

United are prioritising strengthening central midfield this summer after the exit of Casemiro and uncertainty over Manuel Ugarte’s future.

Ideally, they would like to make two, or possibility three, signings in that area, although it appears first choice Elliot Anderson would prefer to join Manchester City.

While it is not unknown for United to negotiate with more than one target before making a final decision, they appear to have opted to move early for Ederson, who has three full Brazil caps but has missed out on World Cup selection.

Atletico Madrid were thought to be keen on the player, who has spent the past four and a half years in Serie A - initially with Salernitana - but the Spanish side have plumped for Wolves’ Joao Gomes instead.

Another potential United target, Mateus Fernandes, is likely to be sold by West Ham this summer as they come to terms with the financial consequences of relegation to the Championship.

United were keen on Brighton’s Carlos Baleba last summer, but would look to sign the Cameroon international for a lot less than they were willing to offer 12 months ago after his underwhelming season.

Meanwhile, United have confirmed it cost them £16.7m to dismiss former manager Ruben Amorim.

United sacked the former Sporting boss in January, less than 14 months after they paid £11m to bring him to the club from Portugal.

The exact figure was contained within the latest accounts. Amorim was sacked in January after a run of poor results and arguments with director of football Jason Wilcox over the team’s style of play.

Carrick won 12 of his 17 games in caretaker charge as United finished third in a season where they had initially targeted a Europa League spot - and the former Red Devils midfielder has since been appointed permanently.

The club also confirmed borrowings on a revolving credit facility on 31 March were £262.5m. With the addition of a £490.1m ($650m) debt which was a legacy of the Glazer takeover in 2005, plus the outstanding transfer fees, it means United’s three main areas of debt remain just under £1.3bn.

Nevertheless, Berrada is adamant the club are heading in the right direction on and off the pitch as he spoke of the “continuing positive impact of our business transformation initiatives”, which included two lots of redundancies.

The club also said work was continuing behind the scenes on its ambitious new 100,000-seater stadium project.

Nuno to stay as West Ham boss after relegation

Nuno Espirito Santo’s previous experience of the Championship saw him lead Wolves to the title

Nuno Espirito Santo will stay on as West Ham manager to lead their fight to get back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

The Portuguese met with the club’s senior management on Monday in the wake of their relegation from the top flight.

Although both parties could have severed ties without compensation, they decided to stick together in the hope Nuno will repeat his promotion campaign with Wolves in 2018.

“We are pleased to confirm he has expressed his continued commitment to the club – as we have to him,” wrote the club in an open letter to supporters.

“Nuno made it very clear that he is highly motivated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season.

“Nuno has spent one previous year in the Championship and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers.”

West Ham’s statement accepts the club “cannot shy away from the fact our season has not been good enough”.

The Hammers have been relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2012.

Club sources estimate it will cost them £200m in lost revenue, which means, after a hefty loss of more than £100m in their latest accounts and more losses expected this season, player sales from a squad including much coveted stars like skipper Jarrod Bowen and Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes are inevitable.

Nuno’s promotion drive at Wolves was led by Ruben Neves and loan signings including Diogo Jota. It remains to be seen whether he will have the same calibre of players this time around.

However, after a slow start following Graham Potter’s dismissal in September, West Ham feel they have seen enough in Nuno to believe he can repeat his promotion feat.

“While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the board of directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and progress in recent months, and we want Nuno to continue developing that progress,” the club said.

“A total of 25 points taken from our final 17 Premier League matches equated to 1.47 points per game – a ratio that would have resulted in a 7th place finish across the total season. Furthermore, we feel the clear improvement in squad mentality and togetherness since January, leading to that upturn in performances and results, makes him the right man to lead us forward.”

In addition to getting straight back out of the Championship, the club have resolved to repair the fractured relationship with their fans.

Many supporters have never forgiven the club for its decision to move out of Upton Park and into the London Stadium in 2016.

Although it was the second biggest stadium in the Premier League and its 62,500 capacity is almost double the next largest grounds in the Championship, many feel it is soulless.

More importantly, they also feel promises made around the move about West Ham’s ability to compete at the top end of the Premier League and consistently in Europe have not been met.

Of the architects of the relocation, only chairman David Sullivan remains. His business partner David Gold died in January 2023, while vice-chair Karren Brady quit the club last month with continued supporter abuse cited as one of the reasons.

“For every single person who is passionate about the club, it (relegation) hurts deeply and that feeling will sustain for some time,” said West Ham.

“The board must now review every aspect of the club’s operation to ensure that when we return to the Premier League – hopefully in August 2027 - we are a better West Ham United in every way, on and off the pitch.

“We know we must also take steps to repair the club’s relationship with its fanbase. We want West Ham United to be a club that listens to all of our supporters and communicates with them in a clear and transparent way.

“We are committed to taking supporter feedback on board, and backing that up with real, significant actions - starting with reductions of up to 30% across all season ticket prices for next season.”

Pochettino defends not phoning axed US players

United States manager Mauricio Pochettino has hit back at criticism over the way he informed players whether or not they had made his 26-man squad for the World Cup.

According to The Athletic, the former Tottenham and Paris St-Germain boss emailed players who were left out.

In contrast, Pochettino sent video messages to the 26 players included in the squad.

Speaking on ESPN’s Futbol Americas show, former US forward Herculez Gomez - who praised ex-US manager Jurgen Klinsmann for informing him of his omission from the 2014 World Cup squad via voicemail - said it was inexcusable for Pochettino not to call those players he cut.

Pochettino defended himself during a news conference, arguing that players would not want to speak to him immediately after being cut.

“When I was a player, when I didn’t make the roster I didn’t want my coach to call me,” Pochettino said.

“The players who didn’t make the roster, they don’t want to hear me say ‘I apologise’. What are you going to say? Am I going to lie?

“I care. Do you know why I care? Because during [the past] two weeks I didn’t sleep.

“And today, still I cannot enjoy the 26 guys that are in front of me, because I am thinking of players that are out.

“If I call, it’s about myself. I say, ‘Oh, I call, I am very human about calling and then giving an explanation’.”

The World Cup co-hosts open their Group D campaign against Paraguay on 13 June before matches against Australia and Turkey.

Sarri leaves Lazio for second time by mutual consent

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri has left the Italian club by mutual consent after one year in charge.

The 67-year-old former Chelsea manager returned for a second spell as Lazio boss last summer, after previously spending three years with the Serie A side from 2021 to 2024.

But following a ninth-placed league finish this season and a 2-0 Coppa Italia final defeat by Inter Milan, Lazio confirmed they had parted ways with Naples-born Sarri.

“S.S. Lazio announces that a mutual agreement has been reached to terminate the contracts of head coach Maurizio Sarri and his coaching staff,” the statement read.

The club also posted a video on X with the caption: “Thank you for everything, Commander.”

Sarri first joined Lazio in June 2021 and led them to second place in the 2022-23 season, which was their best league finish since winning the title in 1999-2000.

However, he resigned a less than year later after Lazio suffered a fifth defeat in six games in all competitions.

Italian media reports say Sarri will soon take over at Atalanta, whose current coach is Raffaele Palladino, while former Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso is the favourite to replace Sarri at Lazio.