He’s like Rice: Big-money target agrees £100k-per-week deal to sign for Man Utd

If anyone is to beat Manchester United‘s Bruno Fernandes to the PFA Player of the Year award, it might well be former target, Declan Rice, with the England star leading the charge at the Emirates.

In another life, the 27-year-old might well have ended up at Old Trafford if things had panned out differently, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously suggesting that he’d been keen to sign the midfielder when in the United dugout.

As Gary Neville claimed last month too, Rice “is a Manchester United player“, the type of figure – alongside Harry Kane – that Sir Alex Ferguson and co “would have always signed back in the day”.

Alas, the £105m Arsenal star is now shining under Mikel Arteta’s watch instead, with United seeking to ensure they can make a transformational midfield signing of their own this summer.

Midfield target has now agreed deal to sign for Man Utd this summer

For the fourth time this season, the Red Devils went into battle without Casemiro in the starting lineup away at Sunderland. For the fourth time this season, they failed to win without the Brazilian in tow.

That absence only further highlighted why INEOS have to get it right when it comes to the succession plan this summer, with the 34-year-old’s current deputy, Manuel Ugarte, looking set for an exit of his own after two forgettable campaigns at Old Trafford.

The priority target to fill Casemiro’s shoes remains Elliot Anderson by all accounts, although the Nottingham Forest starlet appears Etihad-bound, with an eye-watering £120m price tag having been mooted.

Alternatives are needed, with that in mind, and TEAMtalk are reporting that INEOS could already be closing in on their first summer capture, in the form of Atalanta’s Ederson.

As per the report, the Brazilian has already said yes to a £100k-per-week move to Manchester, provided that United make an official approach to the Serie A side.

The belief is that Michael Carrick’s men are now leading the race for the 26-year-old’s signature, ahead of both Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, with an initial fee of around €45m (£38.9m) having been suggested.

Why Ederson could be Man Utd’s own Rice at Old Trafford

Fernandes, sitting on 19 assists for the season, is the Premier League’s star midfielder still, undoubtedly, although Rice has been a talismanic figure in his own right at Arsenal, a monstrous, box-to-box presence in north London.

A weapon from set pieces, the former West Ham United man has emerged as a creative outlet in his own right too, up to 17 ‘big chances’ created for the campaign – third on the list behind Rayan Cherki (18) and, of course, Fernandes (30).

His key attribute, however, remains his ball-winning prowess, notably averaging 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game this season, while making 4.9 ball recoveries per outing.

That is where the likeness to the aforementioned Ederson can really be seen, with the South American a real midfield machine back in Italy, hailed as the “strongest defensive midfielder in the world“.

Indeed, in Serie A in 2025/26 thus far, the in-demand talent has also averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, while only just behind Rice with regard to ball recoveries (4.4).

He may not be quite as imposing physically as Rice at just 6 foot, although like the Three Lions star, he’s not so easily bettered, having been dribbled past just 0.6 times per game on average this season – only slightly more than Rice (0.4) in the Premier League.

For comparison, United’s man of the moment, Casemiro, has been dribbled past 1.4 times per game, highlighting how, for all his goalscoring brilliance, the nagging concerns of his waning mobility have not gone away.

Also in Ederson’s favour too is just how neat and tidy he is in possession. He may not be a key progressor, both as a carrier or passer, but he does boast a respectable 89% pass accuracy rate, again ahead of both Rice (87%) and Casemiro (81%).

He’s also no slouch in an attacking sense either, having netted his second league goal of the campaign last time out against AC Milan, having finished 2024/25 with four league goals from his deep-lying midfield berth.

Much like Rice, he is a ‘number six’ by trade, albeit while not necessarily pigeon-holed in one position. He’s another almost throwback midfielder who can impact proceedings all across the pitch, not one to be seen merely sitting quietly in front of the back four.

As Rice has provided under Arteta, Ederson could offer that much-needed mobility, dynamism and physicality that United’s midfield is currently crying out for.