Richard Hughes can’t miss bargain £26m deal for spectacular Brazil midfielder

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been handed a rare opportunity to secure one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders at a cut-price fee, with Atalanta now open to selling Brazilian dynamo Ederson for around £26 million – less than half the valuation placed on him only 12 months ago.

According to a report in Tutto Mercato Web, Manchester United and Atlético Madrid have recently entered the race for the 25-year-old, but sources close to the player suggest Hughes is determined to bring the box-to-box standout to Anfield before the window closes. Agent Andre Cury has labelled his client “spectacular”, and the numbers now appear equally eye-catching: last summer Atalanta demanded between €60 million and €70 million, a figure deemed “justified by the player’s quality, his young age, his multi-year contract, and performances that had put him on the radar of Europe’s biggest clubs.”

A year of market flux, combined with contractual pressure, has slashed that asking price. “That figure is no longer sustainable,” the Italian outlet notes. “The valuation starts at least €30 million: half, or even less, than it was twelve months ago.”

Ederson’s importance in Gian Piero Gasperini’s side is undisputed. A high-intensity, tactically disciplined presence, he has anchored Atalanta’s midfield in both Serie A and the Champions League, offering ball-winning steel and forward thrust in equal measure. The Bergamo club have rebuffed repeated approaches from heavyweights over the past two windows, but with his contract running only to June 2027, a decisive renewal or sale is now imperative to protect his market worth.

A minor meniscus issue sidelined Ederson for several weeks at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, yet the setback is viewed as medium-term rather than chronic, and scouts maintain confidence in his durability.

For Hughes, the convergence of talent, positional need and discounted fee presents a potential masterstroke. Whether Manchester United or Atlético accelerate their interest or Liverpool strike swiftly, Ederson’s next destination could shape the Premier League and European qualification battles ahead.