Man Utd to complete brilliant first signing as Elliot Anderson chooses new club

Manchester United are close to completing their first midfield signing of the summer, while No 1 target, Elliot Anderson, is nearing a £100m move and what effect Anthony Gordon’s agreed switch to Barcelona has on Marcus Rashford’s own move to Catalonia has been revealed.

Man Utd expected to sign Ederson Silva

Man Utd are closing in on making Atalanta’s Ederson their first major signing of the summer.

The three-cap Brazil international has given total priority to joining the Red Devils. He’s reached a full agreement on personal terms (five-year contract) with United and is disregarding all other clubs who knock on his door.

Man Utd are deep in discussions with the Serie A side regarding the fee and a club-to-club agreement could be struck at any moment. Numerous reports over the past 24 hours have confirmed a deal worth roughly €45m / £38m is being ironed out.

Providing his take on the situation on Wednesday night, transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, explained: “United are close to completing an agreement with Atalanta for €45m.

“Payment terms are being discussed, instalments and all the rest. But Ederson is very, very, very close to becoming a new Manchester United player.”

Elliot Anderson deal completed within 48 hours

The news regarding Man Utd’s No 1 target, however, is not positive.

Nottingham Forest and England ace Anderson is the top target at both Manchester clubs. Unfortunately for United, the 23-year-old has chosen to join City.

Our insider, Fraser Fletcher, verified an agreement on personal terms is in place between Man City and Anderson, who isn’t put off by Pep Guardiola’s departure.

Sources close to the situation anticipate significant progress in this deal between the clubs will made in the next 48 hours.

A transfer costing roughly £100m is anticipated, and Man Utd are so sure Anderson is heading to the Etihad that they’ve thrown in the towel and are advancing on other moves, such as the one involving Ederson.

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Anthony Gordon transfer affects Marcus Rashford

TEAMtalk were the first to break news of Barcelona having their £75m (add-ons included) bid for Anthony Gordon accepted by Newcastle on Wednesday evening.

A full agreement on personal terms has also been sealed, and Gordon will now undergo a medical.

From a Man Utd perspective, the obvious question to ask is what does this mean for Barcelona’s proposed move for Marcus Rashford?

Thankfully for Man Utd, Barca do still intend to sign Rashford. The LaLiga champions want two signings in the final third – one for the spot loanee Rashford is vacating in theory, and the other to replace departing striker, Robert Lewandowski.

The easiest way to replace Rashford is to… bring Rashford back. However, with Barca channelling big money towards the Gordon deal, Fabrizio Romano has claimed it’s even less likely they activate their €30m option to buy.

Barca will reportedly now be even more determined to ask for a second loan, or to sign Rashford for a reduced fee or on friendlier payment terms.

In other words, the one thing Man Utd want – €30m / £26m up front and in full for Rashford – is the one thing they won’t get if doing a deal with Barcelona.

Frustratingly for Man Utd, Rashford has made it crystal clear he wants to sign for Barcelona and Barcelona only. He’ll put up stiff resistance if the Red Devils attempt to sell him to any other club.