Europa League winners Atalanta are now understood to be refuting reports that Liverpool have submitted a bid for Ederson ahead of the opening of the summer window.
Fabrizio Romano has since delved into the situation and confirmed that there is some interest from Arne Slot’s men.
“We heard today reports of a bid from Liverpool for Ederson. What I’m hearing is that Atalanta at the moment haven’t received an official bid for Ederson yet,” the Italian spoke on his personal YouTube channel.
“They know there is interest in Ederson but they have not received any official proposal and they want to keep Ederson at the club.”
NEW: Intriguing from @FabrizioRomano:
“What I’m hearing is that Atalanta haven’t received an official bid for Ederson yet…”
“But it’s also true that Liverpool made contact with the agents of Ederson recently to understand the situation of the player.” https://t.co/mpD3xkALro
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) June 6, 2024
The CaughtOffside columnist went on to add: “But, it’s also true that Liverpool made contact with the agents of Ederson recently to understand the situation of the player.
“It doesn’t mean that Ederson is going to Liverpool, it doesn’t mean that Ederson to Liverpool is a close or advanced or done deal. But Liverpool are exploring the market before deciding which players they will go for and which players they won’t go for.
“This is the situation around Ederson: They have been following the player, scouting the player, but they still don’t know what they will do in that position in the midfield.
“Ederson is a player they are monitoring, they appreciate, they made contact with his agents. But at the moment before saying he’s in the list and they’ve made a bid, we still have to wait with Atalanta also waiting to understand which club will approach them for Ederson.”
This follows an update from SportsZone in which the French outlet claimed the Reds are ‘close to reaching an agreement in principle’ with the Serie A star.
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READ MORE: What Fabrizio Romano heard about exit-linked Liverpool player as another demands to leave
What do Liverpool need in midfield?
After a summer of heavy investment in the middle of the park last year, it seems strange that we’re allegedly set to add yet another midfielder to the mix in the upcoming window.
Stranger yet, when there’s every possibility competition for places may get even tougher if Arne Slot opts to convert Trent Alexander-Arnold into a permanent midfield option.
But that’s a discussion for another day! In the meantime, it’s an unavoidable reality that our midfield has proven, at times, easy to carve through for opposition sides.
The obvious solution for many will be bringing in a world-class No.6 with the legs and defensive nous to enable our more creative midfielders to shine further forward.
Is Ederson the man for Richard Hughes and Co.?
There’s no question the Brazilian has played a big part in Atalanta’s success last term, which culminated in a well-deserved Europa League final victory over Xabi Alonso’s seemingly indomitable Bayer Leverkusen.
We’re not sure whether he fits the mould of a No.6, however, judging by Tiago Nunes’s description (via Sky Sports): “He is a box-to-box player with the energy to keep going back and forth all the time.”
The 44-year-old went on to add: “I see him playing as a box-to-box player, a midfielder who isn’t really someone to build the game but more of a player who can break through lines, get into the final third, progress up the field. I see him more as a midfielder with the freedom to get forward.”
Whilst it certainly sounds like Ederson’s an exciting potential transfer for any club across Europe, we don’t think another all-action, forward-minded midfielder is what we need.
Would we like our next top No.6 to be capable of influencing events in the final third? Fabinho’s world-class passing and vision did deliver for Liverpool, in that regard, in his heyday at Anfield.
But most important of all is any prospective target’s ability to influence proceedings between the midfield and back four.
