Atalanta midfielder Ederson has been the recipient of a bid from Liverpool, according to a recent report. The Brazil international, who played both legs of his side’s shock quarter-final Europa League victory over the Reds, has enjoyed an excellent season in Italy which ended with a trophy.
As was the case against Liverpool, Atalanta entered the Europa League final against unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen as underdogs, however Ademola Lookman bagged a stunning hat-trick to seal a shock 3-0 win. While the former Everton winger took the headlines, Ederson was imperious in midfield and unsurprisingly transfer interest has now emerged.
Both Liverpool and Newcastle have been linked to the 24-year-old, with the latter viewing him as a potential replacement for fellow countrymen Bruno Guimaraes. But it looks as though Liverpool have taken the initiative with an offer on the table for the Atalanta star.
According to Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola a €45million (£38m) bid has been submitted from Anfield with a response from the Italian side yet to arrive. Liverpool could be planning a significant raid of Atalanta with links to Teun Koopmeiners also growing which would see him seal a reunion with new head coach Arne Slot.
The Dutchmen deploys similar tactics to former manager Jurgen Klopp with the need for a high pressing and high energy midfield paramount to both. With that in mind, Ederson looks to have confirmed that he would be an excellent first signing for Slot.
Speaking after the Europa League final win, he said: “The coach told me to be more aggressive, as I had some pace and power, so I needed to use those characteristics more. “This season, I got a more used to the high press, so I was able to be more attacking too and added that to my game as well.”
Ederson’s asking price has been mooted to be in the region of €50million (£42m) which may mean Liverpool’s opening bid will have to increase, however it looks as though the first steps have been taken with the Reds keen to be active in the upcoming trading period.