Manchester United have reportedly reached a formal agreement to sign Tom Heaton from Aston Villa in the summer transfer window
According to an exclusive report by Daily Mirror, Tom Heaton appears set to become the first signing made by Manchester United in the summer transfer window. The 35-year-old has reached an agreement to return to Old Trafford, having previously been a part of the Red Devils’ academy.
Heaton has previously been a part of Manchester United, having completed his footballing education with the Red Devils in 2005. However, Heaton never really managed to make his first-team debut for Manchester United, and was instead sent out on six different loan spells before he joined Cardiff City in 2010.
However, it is only after he ended up signing for Burnley in 2013 that his career took off. Indeed, the 35-year-old spent six fruitful seasons at Turf Moor, even spending the last four years as the club captain. In the summer of 2019, though, Heaton’s time at Burnley came to an end, as he joined Aston Villa.
While initially the first-choice goalkeeper for the Villans, a shoulder injury sidelined the veteran goalkeeper for the second half of 2019/20 before the arrival of Emiliano Martinez relegated him to the role of the backup custodian. Now set to leave Aston Villa following the expiration of a two-year deal, Heaton appears destined to make a return to Manchester United.
The Red Devils are set for a bit of an overhaul in the goalkeeping department this summer, with either Dean Henderson or David de Gea likely to leave. While for weeks, it was touted that de Gea could be the one to be offloaded by Manchester United, recent reports have suggested a possible exit for Henderson.
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Either way, Manchester United will need a new deputy to whoever stays put at Old Trafford, with Sergio Romero and Lee Grant also set to leave. To that end, Heaton has emerged as a viable target for the record 20-time English champions, with the 35-year-old still being good enough to be used in cup competitions.
It now looks like Manchester United are on the cusp of signing Heaton, who has reached an agreement to make a return to Old Trafford in the summer. Having held talks over the last few weeks, the deal now looks done, with the 35-year-old set to become the Red Devils’ first summer signing. It will now be interesting to see as to who between de Gea and Henderson calls it quits.
