Goalkeeper Ederson looks set to stay at Premier League champions Manchester City after Al-Ittihad refused to stump up the £40 million required to take the Brazil international to Saudi Arabia.
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HITC understands that, after a long-running transfer saga involving one of Pep Guardiola’s key men, a line can now be drawn under the situation.
Ederson Moraes did have a deal in place that would have seen him swap the Premier League for the Middle East and become the highest-paid goalkeeper in world football as a result.
Ederson was due to take home around £500,000-a-week in Saudi Arabia. In excess of the pay-packet Manuel Neuer – currently the globe’s best-paid glovesman – earns at Bayern Munich.
But after Manchester City refused to budge on their £40 million asking price, Al-Ittihad have taken a leaf out of rivals Al-Nassr’s book by removing themselves from the race.
Manchester City now likely to retain goalkeeper Ederson
City had initially received a bid in the £25 million region, HITC reported a fortnight ago.
Al-Nassr turned to Ederson’s fellow Brazil international Bento once learning that the English champions would not be forced into a sale, however.
Bento, who HITC understands was on the radar of Wolves, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest a few months ago as well as Inter Milan, swaps Athletico Paranaense for the desert to the tune of around £16 million.
Al-Ittihad have now also dropped out of contention, also refusing to stump up £40 million for a goalkeeper who will be 32 years old and a free-agent as soon as 2026.
Interestingly, City boss Pep Guardiola indicated only a few days ago that there was indeed plenty of uncertainty surrounding Ederson’s future in England’s north west.
“I don’t know if Ederson will stay,” Guardiola said, as per Fabrizio Romano on X. “He has to make a decision.”
Any ‘decision’, however, may now have been taken out of Ederson’s hands with Manchester City’s eye-watering price-tag all-but bringing an end to that Saudi interest for the time being.
Brazil star clarifies Stefan Ortega rumours
There had been some suggestions that the long-serving shot-stopper – brought in from Benfica back in 2017 after that ill-fated Claudio Bravo experiment – had been left a little miffed by all the attention that came Stefan Ortega’s way following City’s latest Premier League triumph.
Ortega stepped up when Ederson picked up an injury late last season, his stellar saves against Tottenham Hotspur on the penultimate matchday putting City in pole position for another title.
Ederson, writing on his official Instagram account, was quick to dispel those rumours.
“It is completely false,” he says, having suffered a fractured eye socket in that 2-0 Tottenham win.
“The supposed reported day was without a doubt, one of the hardest days of my career; when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and consequently representing my country in Copa America.”
“At the time of the injury, my thought was only to continue in the match, defending City in the contest for the conquered title.
“But the emotion of the match would be greater than reality and fatally, I would have no way to continue as I would like because of the damage it caused, completely hindering my field of vision.
“I stay focused on the preparation of the season.”
HITC understands that Man City have been impressed by Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson and Roma’s Mile Svilar as they consider their long-term options.
There was interest in Filip Jorgensen too. The Villarreal ace is set to complete a £20 million move to Chelsea, however.
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