Since the club has not yet approved David de Gea’s contract, Manchester United’s goalkeeping dilemma has received a great deal of attention.
Dean Henderson appears to be on track to finalise a permanent move to Nottingham Forest in a deal that could be worth in the neighbourhood of £25 million, pending that agreement by the two parties.
The possibility of replacing De Gea as the team’s undisputed number one has been raised in light of his recent errors and season-long generally poor distribution.
According to The Peoples Person, if United chose that course, FC Porto’s current financial situation might make a deal for Diogo Costa a viable possibility.
But a marquee signing between the sticks seems somewhat improbable because several positions require immediate reinforcement.
An up-and-coming custodian could be added instead to work in tandem with the Golden Glove winner and eventually take his place.
Bart Verbruggen, 20, who impressed in his breakout season at Anderlecht, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford to play precisely that position.
The Dutchman has undeniable talent and has the potential to grow into the kind of proactive custodian United has lacked for the past ten years.
But according to author Alan Nixon (via Inside Futbol), Burnley have beaten Manchester United to the punch by making a $13 million offer. Given their shared past, former Anderlecht manager Vincent Kompany is confident he can convince Verbruggen of the benefits of joining the newly promoted team.
The player is rumoured to be wary of joining a top Premier League team because he understands that in order to develop his skills and status in the game, he needs to play regularly for the first team.
However, given that Ten Hag recently acknowledged that De Gea won’t always be his first choice, Verbruggen would have plenty of chances to play and make an impression should United make an offer.
Manchester United had a busy schedule in the previous season, playing 62 games across all competitions, and they expect a similar one in the upcoming one as they try to compete on several fronts once more.
Ten Hag might be able to entice Verbruggen to the club in light of this. Waiting for Burnley to start the bidding would be a wise move if he were to do that.
Tyrell Malacia was signed by United last summer for about £17 million, swooping in just as Olympique Lyonnaise was about to complete a deal for the left back.
By doing this, The Red Devils helped the club quickly close a good deal while avoiding the “tax” that their own entry into a bidding war frequently entails.
While the Old Trafford custodian position is still up in the air, there is no doubt that Erik ten Hag will take into account all of his options as he looks to reassemble his team so that it can comfortably play his preferred brand of football.
