Ederson medical concern delays United signing as De Ligt returns to Carrington

Manchester United’s protracted pursuit of Atalanta midfielder Ederson has stalled after a medical examination raised concerns over a knee problem, leaving the £38.3m deal in limbo more than five weeks after the two clubs agreed terms.

Ederson, 27, underwent an initial medical during the World Cup that is understood to have flagged issues related to a meniscus injury that kept him out of several games last season. The midfielder is now undergoing more detailed assessments in Manchester. United have not disclosed the nature of the concern, but if the results are satisfactory, a four-year contract is already in place and the signing could be confirmed swiftly.

Should the deal collapse, United would need to restart their search for midfield reinforcements entirely. The club are also in the process of finalising a move for Andrey Santos, with the two deals treated as separate matters. Even with both signings completed, United are expected to pursue a third midfielder given that Manuel Ugarte is facing a suspected ACL injury that could rule him out for the majority of the season.

Among the alternatives, United retain an interest in Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, though the south-coast club are valuing the 22-year-old at around £80m and are simultaneously working to tie him to a new contract. A move for Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha has been explored but is expected to be priced out. Despite Roma’s Manu Kone impressing as a stand-in for Aurélien Tchouaméni in France’s World Cup midfield, United currently have no plans to pursue him.

On the injury front, Matthijs de Ligt is back at United’s Carrington training base, though he was absent from the club’s official images of players returning for pre-season. The 26-year-old centre-back is following an individual programme as he continues his recovery from back surgery carried out in May. De Ligt has not featured for United since late November, having initially delayed the operation in an attempt to force his way into the Netherlands’ World Cup squad. That plan ultimately proved unworkable, and he went under the knife with the club now expressing confidence that the underlying issue has been resolved.

Elsewhere in United’s development setup, 20-year-old Sekou Kone is spending the summer with Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland rather than joining the first team for pre-season. Kone joined the Ineos-owned Swiss Super League club on loan in January but managed only five league appearances, starting once, before injury ended his campaign early. He has featured for Lausanne-Sport in pre-season this summer, including in a friendly against Flamengo, and both parties are weighing up whether to extend the arrangement for another loan spell.