Atalanta set record-breaking transfer fee on Man United target

Manchester United have been linked with Atalanta star Ederson, but they will need to break the bank to sign him.

The Serie A club have placed a £63 million price tag on the 25-year-old midfielder, according to AS.

United have enquired about signing the midfielder but face competition from Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Juventus.

The Red Devils are reportedly ready to pay £51m for Ederson.

United should abandon Ederson pursuit and retain Casemiro

While Ederson has performed well for Atalanta this season, Casemiro has outshone him in several key areas.

Casemiro has averaged more goal involvements per game across all competitions than his compatriot.

The United midfielder has also been more active in the final third than the Atalanta star.

Casemiro has averaged 3.69 shot-creating actions and 0.36 goal-creating actions per game, compared to Ederson’s 2.99 and 0.29 in the same metrics.

However, Ederson has been the more effective passer and ball carrier.

Casemiro has been involved in 92 ground duels, winning 57.6 percent of them. By contrast, Ederson has participated in just 35 ground duels, winning 57.1%.

Ederson holds the edge in aerial duels, winning 58.8% compared to Casemiro’s 54.7%.

These statistics suggest that Ederson is not a clear upgrade on Casemiro.

United would be better off sticking with Casemiro rather than spending a large fee on the Atalanta man.

Stats from fbref.com.

Article written by Henry Thornton .