Man Utd in talks to sign “best DM in the world”

With Manchester United‘s last attempt to try and find a Casemiro successor backfiring, following the flawed £42m arrival of Manuel Ugarte, the INEOS regime can’t afford a repeat scenario this time around.

By all accounts, it could be one Brazilian replaced by another, if reports are to be believed, with United currently in talks to sign Atalanta midfielder, Ederson, the 26-year-old left with just a year to run on his deal in Bergamo.

Alarm bells are already ringing regarding that pursuit of the South American, however, with Ederson failing to make Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, falling behind the ageing pair of Casemiro and Fabinho, among others.

Ahead of a summer that will see at least one midfielder arrive at Old Trafford, perhaps the Serie A star would be an able understudy, although the marquee signing that United need, he is not.

Man Utd in talks to sign dream Ederson alternative this summer

With Casemiro on his way and Ugarte potentially set to follow, Michael Carrick‘s side are in desperate need of reinforcement, and fast, with the looming World Cup only set to complicate matters when it comes to getting deals over the line.

There’s no time to lose and thankfully the Red Devils appear to be in a hurry, working on a succession of parallel moves, ready to pounce if given the green light to do so.

That’s the view of The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, in any case, with the transfer insider revealing that Ederson is one name on a lengthy list of midfield targets, with United said to be aware of what personal terms would look like for the Brazilian.

More intriguingly, however, Whitwell also suggested that work is being carried out regarding an exciting move for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni, as INEOS seek to capitalise on the chaos surrounding the Bernabeu this season.

As per the report, United officials have watched the Frenchman in action in person of late, and are in a position to ramp up their interest if Madrid indicate they would be open to a sale.

There is the suggestion that talks have already been held, with the club ‘in touch with the relevant people’ as things stand, although much may depend on what the future holds for Tchouameni under returning boss, Jose Mourinho.

How Tchouameni compares to Ederson this season

There’s been a refreshing calm to United this season, Ruben Amorim’s exit aside. No off-field issues that plagued the Portuguese and Erik ten Hag before him, be it Mason Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.

Once a basket case, there is stability again, with Tchouameni’s Madrid perhaps now the symbol of chaos at the elite level.

The aforementioned Mourinho will be back at the helm to steady the ship in the Spanish capital, following a trophyless campaign riddled with incident, not least Tchouameni’s reported clash with Federico Valverde.

Maybe that should be a black mark against the Frenchman’s name, yet perhaps he merely needs a fresh start, away from the bright lights of the Bernabeu.

This is, after all, arguably the “best defensive midfielder in the world, in the eyes of former teammate Chema Andres, now a Champions League winner and midfield pillar for Los Blancos.

Madrid as a whole may have suffered following the loss of both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, but Tchouameni is still a star in his own right, seemingly a clear upgrade on the aforementioned Ederson.

This season in LaLiga, for instance, the former Monaco man has averaged an impressive 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game, all while winning 68% of his total duels and a mammoth 76% of his aerial duels.

He’s a man mountain in that deep-lying number six berth at his best, simply in a different ballpark to Ederson, the latter man averaging just 2.9 tackles and interceptions in Serie A, while winning just 54% of his total duels and only 42% of his aerial duels.

In possession too, the Madrid machine appears to have the edge, boasting a stellar 92% pass accuracy rate across his 31 top-flight starts, ahead of Ederson’s 89% average.

For comparison, Casemiro averages just 81% in that regard this season, showcasing why a more stable, less erratic presence on the ball could be needed, a figure more in the mould of Carrick himself, you could say.

While Tchouameni, sat on just one league goal for the season, doesn’t boast that box-crashing threat, he does boast the knack for the spectacular, memorably rifling home from range against England at the 2022 World Cup.

He’s powerful yet with the poise in possession to match, quite literally head and shoulders above Ederson as one of Europe’s leading midfielders.