Man Utd’s Goalkeeper Crisis Deepens: Erik Ten Hag’s Target Set to Join Premier League Rivals
David de Gea is poised to depart Manchester United on a free transfer, and his potential replacement is moving elsewhere. This poses a serious problem for the club’s goalkeeping situation.
Manchester United’s goalkeeping woes are intensifying after they failed to acquire one of their summer transfer targets.
United presently has three goalkeepers under contract, but it is still unclear who will start the August 14 Premier League opener against Wolves at Old Trafford. The club has reached an agreement with Chelsea to acquire midfielder Mason Mount for £55 million, but the position of goalkeeper remains unfilled.
David de Gea is set to depart Manchester United on a free transfer, as his £375,000-per-week contract expires at midnight on Friday. In a shocking turn of events, the Spaniard had consented to a reduced new contract, only for United to renege.
De Gea has been a member of United for 12 years and has been named the club’s player of the year four times. Now, he must be replaced, but United has yet to take a decisive step in that direction.
United’s recruitment staff has kept an eye on Andre Onana, David Raya, Diogo Costa, and Bart Verbruggen. With Verbruggen’s impending move to Brighton from Anderlecht, one of these options is on the precipice of disappearing.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Ten Hag is a devotee of Dutch international Verbruggen. According to Sussex Live, the 20-year-old is now expected to transfer to Brighton for £17 million.
It would not be surprising for Verbruggen to become a much more expensive player in the future years, given Brighton’s excellent track record of acquiring talented young players at reasonable prices and transforming them into Premier League stars. This could be exasperating for Ten Hag, who is already in a precarious situation.
Bart Verbruggen was rumored to be moving to Manchester United, but will instead join Brighton.
This summer, the Dutchman desired to acquire a world-class striker, a No. 8 midfielder, and a goalkeeper. Mount meets one of these criteria, but he is hesitant to invest heavily in De Gea’s replacement.
Ten Hag is an admirer of Onana, having worked with him at Ajax, but United may be unable to afford Inter’s £50 million asking price. Brentford has valued Raya at £40 million, whereas Porto has suggested Costa can only be purchased for £64 million.
They all appear to be out of United’s price range, with the club preferring to invest in a forward. Therefore, Verbruggen may have been a cost-effective choice.
And it’s not just the top spot that could be problematic. United were obliged to use Martin Dubravka and Jack Butland on short-term loans to cover for De Gea last season, as Dean Henderson was on loan at Nottingham Forest.
Henderson is now eager to pursue a permanent transfer, while Butland has departed following the expiration of his loan agreement. Ten Hag has now prevented 37-year-old Tom Heaton from joining newly-promoted Luton Town, demonstrating their deplorable circumstances.
This summer, United may be compelled to overpay for a new goalkeeper after missing out on Verbruggen.
Man Utd’s Goalkeeper Crisis Deepens: Erik Ten Hag’s Target Set to Join Premier League Rivals
