Altay Bayindir nears a Spanish loan move while rising star Radek Vitek attracts Championship interest, forcing Old Trafford officials to navigate a sudden goalkeeping shake-up this summer.
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Manchester United's transfer window has entered a quiet period after the signings of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow, all in one frenzied week.
Despite the incomings being slow and many people concerned in that regard and rightly so, the club have also struggled to offload players. The likes of Casemiro, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho are all leaving upon the expiry of their contracts. Rasmus Hojlund has so far been the only senior sale after his £40 million move to Napoli.
The goalkeeping departure is proving to be an interesting position for the club, with Senne Lammens being the clear number one and Darlow seemingly brought in to be the deputy for the Belgian.
Altay Bayindir, who was previously the backup, and the highly rated Radek Vitek, who has featured in pre-season, both remain at the club, but their futures are up in the air.
Double goalkeeping departure
Given Bayindir is yet to feature in pre-season, and Vitek was an unused substitute against Atletico Madrid, it is easy to see that they could be the next departures from Old Trafford.
Firstly, Bayindir seems to be in the most advanced discussions for a move away. According to Sport Witness, the Turk is in Vigo to undergo a medical ahead of a loan move to Celta Vigo.
If all goes well, AS have reported that the Spanish side will be able to sign him on a free next summer, given his contract expires in 2027, despite United having the option to extend for a year.
Vitek has been linked with a whole host of clubs, with Celtic the most rumoured club. However, according to Teeside Live, Middlesbrough have added the Czech goalkeeper as a priority option, and they have begun discussions with Vitek open to a move.
After the loss to Wrexham, Vitek hinted at a move. He said (quote via the BBC): "I'm ready to go somewhere again and hopefully be number one."
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United need a big fee for Vitek
While not getting a fee for Bayindir is frustrating, the club only signed him for £4.3 million, meaning any fee they could have got would have resulted in a loss anyway.
However, Vitek is a highly promising talent, and across the Premier League, young talents have been sold for fees over £15 million, and Vitek should be no different.
At Bristol City, the goalkeeper excelled and was Players' Player of the Year, Fans' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year, which is a testament to his ability. He is unlucky with the situation at United, as Senne Lammens is the established number one for the present and ideally the future. Had he had this experience before Lammens signed, he could have been in the running to have a go at being the number one.
Matej Kovar, who was previously in this position, left for a minimal fee, and this needs to be avoided with Vitek given his credentials. Any transfer needs to have the scope for a buy-back clause or, at the very least, either a substantial sell-on clause or first refusal.