Fresh twist in Newcastle United transfer saga as midfielder wanted by La Liga giants

Atletico Madrid have reportedly shown interest in signing Atalanta midfielder Ederson this summer. Ederson has been heavily-linked with a move to St James’ Park as the Magpies go in search of strengthening their midfield options this summer.

However, according to reports from Marca, anyone wanting to sign Ederson this summer will face stiff competition from the Metropolitano Stadium. Diego Simeone’s side currently sit fifth in La Liga and will face Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next month and have identified the Brazilian as someone that could improve their team.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, have had a long-term interest in the 24-year-old and were briefly linked with a move for him in January amid their ultimately fruitless pursuit of Kalvin Phillips. A fee of around £35m may be enough to tempt Atalanta to sell the Brazilian this summer.

Although Ederson remains uncapped by his country, his performances for Atalanta this season have impressed many and South American football expert Phil Vickery has praised the midfielder’s temperament - comparing his style of football to fellow countryman Bruno Guimaraes: “[Ederson] 24 years old, a strong, well-built central midfielder. Strong on the ball, versatile, box-to-box and a strong personality as well,” he told Sky Sports. 

“The first time I remember seeing him was his professional debut when he was thrown into the deep end with a big team called Cruzeiro who were really on the slide and relegated in dreadful form. Even in this bad context, he stood out so he has a lot of virtues. 

“I’m wondering whether all these virtues I am talking about remind you of someone already wearing the shirt of Newcastle United [Bruno Guimaraes]? You can see this either as backup in the squad which we have seen this season in the Champions League in a squad that lacks depth. Or you could interpret it as Newcastle are under pressure with Financial Fair Play and big offers coming in for Bruno Guimaraes as a replacement. So backup or replacement? You’ll find people that are a lot closer to the action than I am so I’ll leave that one in the cauldron of speculation.”