After a sluggish start, Manchester United’s summer has really clicked into gear of late. This week’s £74million purchase of Benjamin Sesko took United’s spending north of the £200m mark, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha having penned deals with the Red Devils earlier this summer.
After securing the signatures of three attacking additions, United are said to be focusing their attention on signing a new midfielder, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba believed to be their primary target. Baleba, who joined from Lille two years ago, could fetch as much as £100m, with Brighton said to be determined to land a hefty fee for the 21-year-old.
But what about a goalkeeper? It was briefed earlier in the transfer window that Ruben Amorim wasn’t sure on his current options, with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir having both been responsible for howlers last season.
Talk of United adding a new shot-stopper had been put on the backburner, until news that Gianluigi Donnarumma could be heading for the Paris Saint-Germain exit door surfaced earlier this month. Donnarumma was instrumental in PSG’s recent Champions League triumph, but given he has just one year left on his deal and doesn’t look likely to sign an extension, the Ligue 1 side are considering cashing in on the Italian.
It’s reported in France that following PSG’s acquisition of Lucas Chevalier, Luis Enrique intends to use the Frenchman as his No.1 shot-stopper this season. It’s a decision that will likely open the door to an exit for Donnarumma, given his undoubted position as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Whether United will press forward with a move remains to be seen, as Amorim has been very clear about the type of characters he wants in his dressing room. Explaining his transfer strategy, he told the official United website: “That is the key point. They have to want to come here. I think what we can do to the fans is that we want players who have proved [themselves] already.
“Sometimes you have a player with a lot of potential, you have to be aware of that, but all the players that are coming, we need to know the player. We need to talk to the player, we have to explain the project.
"And then one really important thing is that they want to come here. That is the key point. If during the market we can find someone that can help the team and have all that boxes with them, we are going to do it. If not, we cannot do it because it's an important time in our club.”