Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Albanian goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, who is a free agent after leaving Lazio.
United are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to add competition to David De Gea after Dean Henderson joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan arrangement. That move came after the United youth graduate admitted defeat in his bid to usurp De Gea as No.1 at Old Trafford this season.
Reports have previously suggested that De Gea was uncomfortable with the situation that he was not previously established as the undisputed shot-stopper at Old Trafford, as had threatened to be the case when Henderson enjoyed a prolonged resurgence in form in early 2021 under previous boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
It was claimed that Solskjaer felt he was unable to drop De Gea as he feared negative backlash from the Spaniard and therefore his position remained safe.
That transfer theory looks set to be ripped up by incoming boss Erik ten Hag, who has identified Strakosha as a player who can add competition to De Gea within the club, in the same summer that veteran goalkeeper Lee Grant hung up his gloves in order to accept a coaching role at Ipswich Town.
That has left De Gea and experienced goalkeeper Tom Heaton as the only senior shot-stoppers on United’s books, with younger pair Nathan Bishop and Matej Kovar, who spent last season on loan at Burton Albion, set to be sent out on loan again this season despite being included in the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.
A report from Talksport now claims that United are closing in on a deal to land free agent Strakosha, who is unlikely to usurp De Gea as the number one shot stopper should he arrive at Old Trafford – but has no shortage of experience and quality to lay down a marker and be involved in first-team action under Ten Hag.
The 27-year-old made over 200 first-team appearances for Lazio, including 164 in Serie A action for the capital club. He made 31 outings under Maurizio Sarri last campaign and has also been a regular at Europa League level for the club, a role which he could recreate at United this campaign.
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While De Gea is likely to remain as first choice under Ten Hag, the arrival of the Albanian international will ensure that a player who is both capable and expectant of being involved for the first-team is available for United. It suggests that Ten Hag is keen to have a strong back-up he can call upon if needed despite predecessors feeling De Gea had become undroppable.
It has been a quiet summer transfer window for United so far with full-back Tyrell Malacia the only arrival at Old Trafford to date. Ten Hag has is attempting to persuade midfielder Frenkie de Jong to join Old Trafford this summer after an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona in the region of £56.2million. While this is a high price, United view it through the lens of landing Christian Eriksen as a free agent and effectively signing two players for the transfer value of one
United are hopeful of signing Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez alongside his attacking Brazilian teammate Antony, but a report from the Daily Record outlines how acquiring both players would set the club back a staggering £106.1million in transfer fees.
