Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp after deciding to sign a new goalkeeper on deadline day.
Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez during the Premier League match between Brentford and Aston Villa at Gtech Community Stadium on
Emi Martinez won't get his Manchester United move. (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United have swooped in to solve their goalkeeper crisis by securing the signing of Senne Lammens for a cool £18.2million plus add-ons on deadline day. The Red Devils were forced to seek a new No. 1 following a series of blunders from Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana at the season's outset, with Lammens emerging as the top pick.
The 23-year-old Belgian prodigy made his way to Manchester to finalise his move from Royal Antwerp, agreeing to a five-year contract with United. The club had also contemplated signing Aston Villa's seasoned keeper, Emiliano Martinez, but opted for Lammens partly because of his age.
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Martinez could have set United back twice as much as Lammens and would have commanded a hefty weekly wage of around £200,000. With United also needing to be prudent with their spending to adhere to PSR rules after already splashing out more than £200m this summer, Lammens was deemed the best choice.
There is no sell-on clause included in the deal for Lammens, who United see as a promising talent capable of growing into the role of first-choice keeper and becoming a fixture in the team for years to come. Lammens is slated to make his United debut in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium a week on Sunday.
Following Lammens' arrival, United now boast four senior goalkeepers including Onana, Bayindir and Tom Heaton.
Sources close to Onana have revealed he plans to remain and battle for the number one jersey, which suggests Bayindir could depart on loan for the remainder of the campaign or pursue a permanent departure.
ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM - JULY 25: Senne Lammens of Royal Antwerp FC during the Jupiler Pro League match between Royal Antwerp FC and
Senne Lammens is putting the finishing touches on his Manchester United transfer. (Image: Getty Images)
The Turkish goalkeeper featured in all three of United's league fixtures before the international break while Onana was handed the Carabao Cup tie at Grimsby.
Bayindir's mistakes against Arsenal and Burnley at home, sandwiching his difficulties away at Fulham, failed to persuade Ruben Amorim that he possessed the quality to continue as first choice beyond the transfer window.
Meanwhile, Onana endured a torrid time against Grimsby Town.
The Cameroonian bore responsibility for the League Two outfit's second strike and proved ineffective during the penalty shootout.
Following Saturday's 3-2 triumph over Burnley, United's maiden victory of the campaign, Amorim mounted a spirited defence of his shot-stoppers, despite privately pursuing a replacement.
"Guys, they are humans," the Red Devils manager declared.
"Manchester United, everything is in use. Everybody talks about the goalkeeper. And you can see, I can change the goalkeeper in the situations that happen.
"We are in that moment. I think it is hard to be a Manchester United goalkeeper in this moment. But if you look at the first goal, we can defend it better. We suffered a quite similar goal against Fulham, because we don't do the full rotation of the team when the ball is on the other side.
"All these small things have nothing to do with the goalkeeper. So, the players are struggling a little bit with all the things around the club. That is normal. So it's not just the goalkeepers. I think everybody has to improve."