Manchester United will soon wrap up the signing of Atalanta midfielder Ederson for the 2026/27 season.
Ederson is the first signing of the Michael Carrick era, with Manchester United and Atalanta agreeing a £35 million fee.
The incoming signing has been compared to Brazilian teammate Bruno Guimaraes, and he will help to fill the hole created by Casemiro’s departure.
Ederson will bring energy and strength to United’s midfield, but there should also be a perspective of ‘what can Manchester United offer Ederson?’
The answer is quite a lot.
Ederson has previously expressed interest in playing in the Premier League, and a move to Manchester United will improve his profile, along with his salary.
United could have offered him this last season too. Now in 2026, the club is in a position to offer Ederson something important – Champions League football.
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Ederson’s Champions League dream
Ederson signed for Atalanta in 2022, and speaking in his first ever interview for the club he spoke about his dream of playing in the Champions League.
The Brazilian explained: “I would like to return to the Champions League. When we started negotiating, it was one of our goals, my dream is to play in the Champions League.
“When they told me this, I was even happier and more motivated.
“The club wants to get back into the Champions League, they should be in it this year too because they are a great team. I think that’s the main goal.
“I want to help Atalanta to win trophies and return to the UCL.”
Ederson and Atalanta both delivered on his dream.
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Ederson in the Champions League
They won the Europa League in 2023/24, qualifying for the Champions League as a reward.
Ederson played 18 games in the Champions League in 2024/25 and 2025/26, scoring two goals; against Barcelona and Eintracht Frankfurt.
He has also played in games against Real Madrid, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Dortmund and Chelsea, among others.
This past season Atalanta finished in seventh place in Serie A, qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
Manchester United are now in a position to offer Ederson an upgrade; he will play for the Red Devils in the Champions League next season.
This is important not only in terms of attracting Ederson, but it is vital that he arrives at the club with Champions League experience already
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