Why are Manchester City willing to sell Ederson and why does he ...

The big question around Ederson’s possible departure from Manchester City this summer is, ‘Why?’.

Why would City let go of their undisputed No 1? No matter how well Stefan Ortega played last season, Pep Guardiola always insisted that Ederson was the main man.

And why would Ederson himself want to leave, to the extent that he is not particularly picky about which Saudi Pro League club he might end up at?

“I don’t know,” Guardiola said on Tuesday of his situation. “He has to see maybe other options. Of course, I would like him to stay but it depends now on the clubs.

“I don’t really know the situation because there are no contacts in the last days and it’s a question of training and being with us until the transfer window is going to finish. We will see what is going to happen with him.”

One obvious answer to why Ederson wants to leave would be, ‘A shed-load of cash’, and of course, he would probably benefit financially from a move.

At first, it seemed that Al Nassr would be his most likely destination, but when they dropped out — due to City’s asking price of £50million (they will not let him go easily) — it simply paved the way for Al Ittihad to come in. Now they have to negotiate with City.

You might wonder why City, since they were so desperate to keep him, would not just demand twice that fee. The issue here, though, is that Ederson does want to go and the club recognise that. While they do not want it to happen, they do not want to price a player who wants to leave out of a transfer, but they do not want him to go cheaply (say for less than £30million) either.

Ederson had offers from Saudi Arabia last summer but knocked them back.

He was ready to sign a new contract at City around March this year but, by the end of the season, some of Ederson’s compatriots already in Saudi Arabia were talking with certainty about his impending arrival.

When Ortega signed a new contract in June, he was well aware of the situation surrounding his team-mate and knew there was a chance Ederson could leave. Ortega believed Ederson’s potential departure would boost his own chances of becoming No 1. While talks progressed with Ortega, who had been expected to leave, City lined up a move for a No 2 goalkeeper should he be needed, a deal that may still come into play.

Beyond the huge sums of money on offer, something else changed in the final weeks of the season. Ederson was affected by the praise Ortega received for his fine one-on-one save to thwart Tottenham’s Son Heung-min in the penultimate match of the season.

That moment, four minutes from the end of the match, has understandably been described as title-defining. Had Son scored, he would have probably earned a point for his side that would have — probably — handed Arsenal the title.

Ortega’s fine spread-eagle save spared City that huge shock — Guardiola fell onto his back as Son ran through — and he could then bask in a tidal wave of appreciation. Parts of that praise, largely from supporters, included a suggestion that Ederson himself would not have saved it.

Ederson had been forced off earlier in the match after receiving a huge blow to the head while keeping out a Spurs attack. In the days after the match, as the fallout continued to focus on Ortega, he posted two photos of his contributions to the match on his Instagram page, along with the caption, “No one understands, but me. See you soon.”

A couple of days later, when Guardiola was asked about Ortega’s heroics, he was keen to recognise the German’s contribution — the City boss rates him incredibly highly — but he made a point of coming back to Ederson’s importance.

“Do you know why we won the Champions League?” he asked. “It was Ederson. In Madrid, 1-1, he made an incredible save from a header from Benzema. The Champions League final, he was the key player, the key to winning. We cannot define the period without Eddie, impossible.”

It had the feeling of a manager trying to reassure a key player of his importance when he felt undervalued. That was clear from the social media post and it looks as though, two months on, it has impacted his desire to leave, despite City trying to explain just how highly valued he is and always has been.

Ederson would prefer to move to a European club but he recognises that none will pay the fee that City are asking. It may be the case that Saudi clubs do not get near it, either, but they are more likely to.

And so that is the main cause of uncertainty heading towards the new season, not that Guardiola agrees with the use of that word.

“No uncertainty!” he insisted. “We are certain. Maybe one player or one-and-a-half, but the rest will stay.”

The other player he is referring to is Julian Alvarez, who also wants to leave but might find himself priced out. He and his family would welcome a move to a warmer climate and he wants more game time at City. That said, it is hard to imagine him playing any more minutes given he is playing two international tournaments for Argentina this summer and has not had a proper break for about three years.

City are believed to be asking for roughly £60million plus around £17m in add-ons, which Atletico Madrid, his main suitors, are not ready to pay.

In recent years, City have been happy to let players go if they want to, a policy that came under the spotlight when they let Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal only for them to spearhead their 2022-23 title charge. But they can be more resistant, especially when it is a player they do not believe they can replace at short notice.

Last summer, they made it very difficult for clubs wanting to sign Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva. This summer, while they are not making it impossible for Ederson and Alvarez to leave, they want to ensure they get good money.

If those players go then City will move to replace them and, while they have been looking for other options all summer, it was notable that Guardiola said the following on Monday: “Many players want to come to City, but we didn’t get an agreement with clubs because they ask for a so, so high price. I have a long, long list.” That may explain why there has been little progress on Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, one of the main summer targets.

So now it is a case of wait-and-see with Ederson, the fundamental goalkeeper who does not feel as valued as he actually is.

(Top photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

Sam Lee is the Manchester City correspondent for The Athletic. The 2020-21 campaign will be his sixth following the club, having previously held other positions with Goal and the BBC, and freelancing in South America. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamLee