Manchester United have a growing problem in the goalkeeping department after missing out on one of their summer transfer targets.
United currently have three goalkeepers under contract, but it remains uncertain who will be in between the posts for their first Premier League game of the season, against Wolves at Old Trafford on August 14. The club have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign midfielder Mason Mount for £55million, yet goalkeeper remains a problem area.
David de Gea is poised to leave United on a free transfer, with his current £375,000-a-week contract due to expire at midnight on Friday night. In a staggering situation, the Spaniard had agreed a reduced new deal, only for United to backtrack on it.
De Gea has been with United for 12 years and has won the club’s player of the year award on four occasions. Now he needs replacing – and United are yet to make a decisive step in that regard.
Andre Onana, David Raya, Diogo Costa and Bart Verbruggen have all been monitored by United’s recruitment team. But one of those options is now on the verge of disappearing, with Verbruggen set to join Brighton from Anderlecht.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag is a fan of Netherlands international Verbruggen. But Sussex Live reports that the 20-year-old is now poised to join Brighton on a £17m transfer.
Brighton have a fantastic track record of signing talented young players at good prices before turning them into Premier League stars, so it would not be a surprise to see Verbruggen develop into a much more expensive player in the coming years. That could prove frustrating for Ten Hag, who is in a difficult position.
The Dutchman wanted to sign a world-class striker, a No8 midfielder and a goalkeeper this summer. Mount ticks one of those boxes, but he is reluctant to spend big on a replacement for De Gea.
Ten Hag is a fan of Onana, having worked with him at Ajax – yet Inter’s asking price of £50m may prove too high for United. Brentford have priced Raya at £40m, while Porto have previously suggested Costa can only leave for £64m.
They all appear to be outside United’s price range, with the club eager to use their funds on a striker instead. That is why Verbruggen might have made a cost-effective option.
And it’s not just the No1 position which could be an issue. United were forced to use short-term loan deals for Martin Dubravka and Jack Butland last season to provide cover for De Gea, with Dean Henderson out on loan at Nottingham Forest.
Henderson is now keen to pursue a permanent transfer elsewhere, while Butland has left after his loan deal expired. Ten Hag has now prevented 37-year-old Tom Heaton from leaving to join newly-promoted Luton Town – a situation which shows their dire straits.
After missing out on Verbruggen, United may be forced into paying over the odds for a new goalkeeper this summer.
