He dominated McTominay: Man Utd expected to make bid for "strong" £52m ace

Stepping up their summer plans, Manchester United are now reportedly expected to submit an opening offer to sign a Serie A midfielder who dominated former Old Trafford star Scott McTominay this season.

INEOS preparing for big summer

Ahead of Ruben Amorim’s first full season in charge, in which he will be forced to operate underneath an even greater spotlight, it’s fair to say that INEOS must get things right on the transfer front.

The Red Devils desperately need to show the door to several stars and are even more desperate for fresh faces to arrive and make their mark at Old Trafford.

Amorim is keen to ensure that his side waste no time before finally turning things around at the club, despite questions around a long-term task.

The former Sporting CP boss told reporters earlier this month: “I understand, but I’m not naïve. I don’t want to think we need a lot of years to be competitive. I can’t think like that, I cannot manage that, it’s not in me. That’s why I’m putting pressure on myself.

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“I know we won’t be the biggest challengers in the next year or two years. We are changing a lot of things inside the club and we know it will take a lot of time, but I will not say I need a lot of years. Next year is our goal. I’m not saying we’re going to win the title in the next year, I’m not crazy.”

What would certainly help accelerate Manchester United’s turnaround is an impressive transfer window – something that INEOS are seemingly planning for.

Already, names such as Liam Delap and James Trafford have been mentioned among those who could yet be on their way to Amorim’s side, but it’s a Serie A midfielder who may well be most likely.

Man Utd expected to submit offer for Ederson

According to TuttomercatoWeb, Manchester United are now expected to submit an official offer to sign Ederson from Atalanta in the coming weeks. The Serie A side reportedly value their midfielder at around €60m (£52m), but it remains to be seen whether United’s pending offer will reach that mark and satisfy the Italians’ requirements.

It should come as no surprise that Atalanta are demanding such a high price, however. If Manchester United kept an eye on academy graduate, turned Napoli star, Scott McTominay, they would have seen Ederson’s quality for themselves earlier this season. The Brazilian dominated the Napoli midfielder in a resounding 3-0 victory.

By the end of the 3-0 thrashing, the Atalanta star had made eight passes into the final third, won 100% of his tackles and completed as many as 10 recoveries. McTominay, meanwhile, was limited to the least amount of touches of any outfield player on the day and won just 50% of his tackles, according to FotMob.

Described as “strong” by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Ederson is exactly the type of combative midfielder that Amorim needs alongside Manuel Ugarte if he is to turn Manchester United around once and for all.

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