Manchester United have made significant progress in their attempts to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson, but are also closing in on Sandro Tonali.
Ederson is expected to add more technical spark to the Red Devils in midfield, especially at a time when Casemiro and even Manuel Ugarte are seen as players on the verge of leaving.
According to Niccolo Ceccarini of Tuttomercatoweb, the deal for the Brazilian is almost complete and the player is expected to say goodbye to “La Dea” very soon. But United are not stopping there and are reportedly close to reaching an agreement with Newcastle United for Tonali.
Although no details are given about the transfer fee, the journalist is quite confident that the Italian’s next destination will be “Old Trafford”.
Earlier, Juventus had also shown interest in Tonali, but the “Old Lady” did not have the financial strength to bring him back to Italy.
“Tonali will be Casemiro’s replacement”
In terms of profile, Tonali is considered much more similar to Casemiro than Ederson is to his compatriot. Although the Italian at Newcastle, and earlier at AC Milan, has often played up front (even scoring crucial goals during the Scudetto win), he has now settled into a deeper role.
That, however, does not mean he cannot play as a number 8. His physical attributes have grown in England, making him a reliable player in the box-to-box role. With the Italian national team, he has also been used higher up the pitch on many occasions, contributing goals.
Overall, Tonali’s arrival would be another way to boost the technical level of United’s midfield. He is considered to be better than Casemiro at keeping the ball and receiving it properly, which could serve him well under Michael Carrick.
