Manchester United are interested in Atletico Madrid superstar Jan Oblak and are lining up the Slovenian as a replacement for current first-choice David de Gea.
It has been a turbulent season for Manchester United. The Red Devils are nowhere near their usual form after finishing second in the 2017-18 campaign. With a new manager at the helm once again, another summer of rebuild is upon Old Trafford. And Metro claim Manchester United have lined up Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak to replace David de Gea.
De Gea has been far from his best for a while now. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was considered to be a mere blip by many. But, the ensuing club season has shown that the Spaniard has indeed lowered his performance levels, with uncharacteristic errors being noticed in a few goals that he has conceded while guarding the Manchester United goal this season.
His contract situation isn’t helping either, with the keeper at odds with Manchester United, reportedly over differences in the weekly wages on offer as part of the new deal. And, with Zinedine Zidane back as the boss at Real Madrid, there are obvious rumours linking the Spaniard with a move to Real Madrid.
At Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois arrived in the summer and hence, began a series of conundrum as to who between the Belgian and Keylor Navas will be the first-choice. Constant rotation saw neither be convincing between the posts, something Zidane has already highlighted won’t be a problem in the new season.
According to reports, Zidane wants to bring in a new keeper at the Bernabeu, with long-term target de Gea and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s names doing the rounds so far. De Gea’s form has also pushed several fans and pundits to lament that it might be time for United to cash in on the superstar, with his contract situation and concerns over his form.
Jan Oblak, on the other hand, has proven himself to be worthy of being considered in the same bracket as the other elite goalkeepers of the current generation. The Slovenian holds a rather exemplary record between the posts for Atletico Madrid, recording 19 clean sheets in La Liga this season alone.
Oblak was linked to Manchester United in the not-so-distant past, before Real Madrid snapped up Thibaut Courtois. Now, with Real Madrid likely to renew their pursuit of David de Gea, Oblak is topping the list for Manchester United, who consider the Slovenian an ideal replacement for the Spanish international.
The report states that United are ready to dedicate all the resources from de Gea’s potential sale to bring in Oblak, who recently signed a new deal with a higher release clause at Atletico Madrid. The report puts forth a figure exceeding £100 million, which would make the Slovenian the most expensive goalkeeper in footballing history.
But, Manchester United are ready to cash in in on de Gea, should he not commit to a new deal by the summer, rather than run the risk of losing on a free transfer next year. Oblak might be expensive. But, the stats show that the Slovenian is more than capable of taking the place of another keeper who first gained reputation while plying his trade for Atletico Madrid.
