Tottenham knock at door for top Serie A midfielder identified as Conor Gallagher alternative
Tottenham Hotspur have made an approach to Atalanta for the potential signing of midfielder Ederson, according to reports in Italy.
Ederson has been attracting attention from within the Premier League thanks to his form for Atalanta across recent months. He is now in his second season with Gian Piero Gasperiniās side after originally arriving in Italy with Salernitana.
This month alone, there have been links with a move to Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle for Ederson.
Now, it seems Tottenham are in contention too, afterĀ Corriere Di Bergamo andĀ Calciomercato both reported of their interest.
Both sources indicate that Tottenham have made an approach to Atalanta for the Brazilian player. Whether or not a formal bid was involved is unclear.
According toĀ Calciomercato, Tottenham have turned to Ederson as an alternative to Conor Gallagher, whom they have been interested in signing from Chelsea.
It has so far been difficult to convince Gallagher to leave Chelsea, which has prompted Tottenham to widen their focus.
They have been in the market for new midfielders due to Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr being on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations with Mali and Senegal respectively.
While those are short-term absences, there are risks of longer-term vacancies in their midfield due to Rodrigo Bentancurās injury issues and the theory that they could sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
After already having success by taking Cristian Romero from Atalanta to reinforce their defence, Tottenham could revisit the same market for Ederson.
Atalanta prepare Ederson asking price
However, they will have their work cut out to convince Atalanta to cash in, since Ederson is under contract in Bergamo until 2026.
La Dea have already decided that their only major departure in January will be left-back Mitchell Bakker.
Therefore, any move for Ederson would likely have to wait until the summer, by which point both clubs would know which competitions they will be in next season on the UEFA stage.
Furthermore, Atalanta are forecasting that Edersonās price tag will rise in the second half of the season and he could become worth ā¬30m or more (above Ā£25m).
They originally spent ā¬21.4m to take Ederson from Salernitana, six months after he moved from the Brazilian Serie A to the Italian one.
Given how important Ederson has been to them since, they will want to make a decent profit if they have to let him go.
Ederson is 24 now but will be 25 by the time next season starts, although where he is playing by then remains to be seen.
Coming to the Premier League would be a new experience for Ederson, who has been playing in the Europa League with Atalanta this season.
Able to operate in virtually any midfield role, he has amassed 27 appearances so far this season, scoring six goals.
Mainly, he has played as a central midfielder, although he has sat deeper in a holding role on occasion.
Atalanta have recently become the club he has represented in the most matches in his career, since he now has a total of 64 appearances to his name for them.
His seven goals in their colours are also the most he has ever scored for any of his clubs.
Atalanta envisage him contributing a fair few more before he moves on, but Tottenham could be a club to be wary of.
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