Manchester United are on the brink of completing the £16million signing of Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who looks set to become the club’s fifth summer arrival. United have been keeping tabs on the 23-year-old shot-stopper for the past year and are now arranging a deal that will see them fork out £16m plus additional bonuses.
Despite rival interest from Inter Milan, Galatasaray and Lille, it’s understood that Lammens is keen to make the move to Old Trafford before the deadline.
United are now set to finalise an agreement with the player as Ruben Amorim addresses a clear problem position in his team.
The arrival of Lammens could cast further doubt over the futures of Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir at the club.
Onana was notably absent from Amorim’s squad for last week’s 1-0 loss against Arsenal, though he had only trained three times before the clash at Old Trafford.
The Cameroon international is currently awaiting news on whether he’ll be recalled for the upcoming match against Fulham.
Backup keeper Bayindir was partly at fault for Riccardo Calafiori’s winning goal for the Gunners, being overpowered by William Saliba.
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Onana, who joined United in a £47million deal from Inter Milan two years ago, has had a patchy performance during his tenure at Old Trafford.
With the African Cup of Nations looming in December and Amorim expressing the need for a new goalkeeper, Onana’s future remains uncertain.
Lammens is expected to sign a five-year contract with United, with a view to becoming Amorim’s No. 1 in his long-term rebuild.
The Belgian is believed to view the move to the Premier League as the platform he needs to make the next step in his career.
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In particular, he sees it as an opportunity to challenge Real Madrid’s seasoned goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for the top spot in Belgium’s national team.
United have already splashed over £208m to sign Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in an aggressive attacking overhaul.
Teenage left-back Diego Leon has also arrived from Cerro Porteno in a deal worth up to £7m.
Amorim would ideally end the summer transfer window by recruiting a midfielder, but United need to raise funds through exits and top target Carlos Baleba is not for sale.