Tom Heaton is on the verge of a switch to Old Trafford, having verbally agreed to join Manchester United this summer.
According to an exclusive report from Football Insider, Manchester United are closing in on the capture of Tom Heaton. The Aston Villa goalkeeper has rejected a new deal at Villa Park and has verbally agreed to a switch to Old Trafford in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Heaton has been identified as a third-choice ‘keeper for Manchester United, behind David de Gea and Dean Henderson. He will be a direct replacement for Sergio Romero, who is expected to leave the club after his contract expires at the end of the season.
Lee Grant, too, faces an uncertain future at the club, as the veteran goalkeeper has not been offered a new deal yet. It won’t be surprising to see him depart Old Trafford in the summer, paving the way for Heaton to become the third choice in between the sticks for the Premier League giants.
The report also suggests that the Englishman will be given an additional role of coaching the other goalkeepers in the roster. It appears to be a sensible move as Heaton has a vast amount of experience in English football, having made 200 competitive appearances for Burnley itself.
Heaton also has 116 appearances to his name in the Premier League while winning three caps for the English national side. Perhaps most importantly, he is a product of the Manchester United academy, having started his professional career with the Red Devils back in 2004.
Although the 35-year-old failed to make a single appearance for United during his tenure there, his time could soon come up, especially if the Premier League giants opt to offload one of their two main goalkeepers in de Gea or Henderson.
de Gea, in particular, is facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford, partly due to his exorbitant wages that have crippled United’s powers in the market, to an extent. The Spaniard is also facing competition from Henderson and has been linked with a return to Atletico Madrid.
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A lot could depend on how the Red Devils plan to go about their business in the upcoming summer transfer window. They have already been linked with multiple star players, including Jadon Sancho, whose hefty price tag might end up forcing the club to cash in on de Gea this summer.
