- Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad want to sign Ederson from Manchester City
- City have already rejected a £25m offer from another Saudi side in Al Nassr
- Thirty-year-old Brazilian keeper Ederson is valued by City at closer to £50m
Al-Ittihad have made contact with Manchester City about sealing a move for Ederson over the coming weeks.
Interest from the Saudi Pro League in City’s goalkeeper has been intense in recent months, with Al Nassr initially hopeful of luring the Brazilian away from the Etihad Stadium.
Their offer of £25million fell way below City’s valuation but Al-Ittihad have been given enough encouragement to open dialogue with the Premier League champions.
The 30-year-old is believed to be valued at somewhere nearer £50m and Al-Ittihad are ready to test that resolve for what would be a major coup for the SPL.
Ederson is in the United States with Pep Guardiola‘s squad, who begin their pre-season preparations against Celtic in North Carolina on Tuesday night.
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, 30, is wanted by Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad
Ederson has been a Man City player since 2017 and has won 17 trophies with the English club
Al-Ittihad finished fifth in last season’s Saudi Pro League despite having a star-studded squad including the likes of Karim Benzema (left) and N’Golo Kante (right)
Ederson, who joined City from Benfica in Portugal, has played 332 matches for his current club
Stefan Ortega has impressed when deputising for the mainstay in City’s goal since 2017 but losing Ederson would still represent a significant blow.
Al-Ittihad have also made overtures for Kevin De Bruyne but the Belgian, whose contract expires this time next year, is expected to remain at City.
Mail Sport reported in February that City were braced for interest in their talisman from Saudi Arabian clubs and De Bruyne had talked up the prospect of moving to the Middle East.
But the midfielder, who turned 33 last month, has since maintained that he is keen to stay working under Guardiola.