Manchester United have cleared their way in the pursuit of Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou for a blockbuster summer transfer.
As per Estadio Deportivo, Manchester United are plotting a bid for Sevilla custodian Yassine Bounou following the return of Martin Dubravka to Newcastle United in this transfer window. But a summer move looks likely for the 31-year-old.
Martin Dubravka’s departure has left Manchester United with only two senior goalkeepers, David de Gea and Tom Heaton. And it will be pretty risky for Erik ten Hag to hop on this journey without a proper backup to his Spanish number one.
The Red Devils do not seem to have the option to recall Dean Henderson from his loan stint with Nottingham Forest. So Manchester United might be forced to dig deep for an additional pair of hands.
Yassine Bounou has been one of the most reliable goalkeepers in La Liga and beat Thibaut Courtois to the Zamora Trophy last term. He joined Sevilla in the summer of 2020 and has established himself as the preferred choice in the goal since then.
The 31-year-old’s heroics for Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup have further elevated his demand. And Manchester United have been tailing him for a long time. But Sevill will demand a hefty transfer fee given his form and the duration of his contract.
However, de Gea’s impeccable form has put Erik ten Hag in two minds, as the Spanish international has compensated for his distribution flaws with some excellent shot-stopping skills. He is yet to ship a single goal since the restart, and the Manchester United manager praised his efforts after he registered his eighth clean sheet in the Premier League.
“He performed really well and today he had some brilliant saves. And I think one of the reasons we have so many clean sheets is David de Gea. I think over a couple of games [he made] more great saves, I remember against West Ham, his great save just before full-time. In general we don’t concede so many chances but today we had some clear chances against us in the second-half.”
Heaton and de Gea will see their contracts expire in the summer. But it is very unlikely that United would go on to hire two new goalkeepers together. The 32-year-old could be offered fresh terms with reduced wages. And Bounou could be introduced at Old Trafford to offer some stiff competition to him. The report claims that Manchester United are well-placed to sign the 31-year-old in the summer.
For now, it looks like Manchester United are edging closer to securing the services of Morocco’s World Cup hero in the summer transfer window. That might mean that Dean Henderson’s time at Old Trafford is edging closer to ending.
