Manchester United are considering a move for Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez if contract talks with David de Gea collapse.
De Gea, 32, is a free agent after his contract with the Red Devils expired at the end of June. Talks are ongoing over a new deal, but it's believed United want the Spanish stopper to take a significant pay cut from £375,000-a-week to around £200,000-a-week.
If De Gea doesn't sign an extension, United will look elsewhere. One potential target is Sanchez, a Spain international who has fallen down the pecking order under Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi and once described De Gea as his "role model".
Sanchez, 25, lost his place to Jason Steele last season and will find it even harder to get in the team following the arrival of Bart Verbruggen. The 20-year-old, who was linked with United and Liverpool, has completed a £16.3m switch from Anderlecht.
As reported by the Daily Mail, United are interested in signing Sanchez to replace De Gea if he moves on. The Brighton man is a good passer of the ball - an attribute Erik ten Hag desires - and several clubs are expected to be after his signature this summer.
The biggest sticking point for United will be Sanchez's price tag. Brighton reportedly want £30m for Sanchez, who has two years left on his contract. That is a lot of money for someone who is now the third-choice stopper at his current employers.
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Sanchez was born in Spain but moved to England as a teenager to join Brighton's academy. Loan spells in the English Football League with Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale followed before he became Brighton's first-choice goalkeeper during the 2020/21 term.
Sanchez's impressive performances for the Seagulls saw him included in Spain's squad for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, earning two senior caps to date. He has played 90 games for Brighton but was dropped towards the back end of last season.
"With Robert... we decided together the best solution was to stay home," said De Zerbi after Sanchez was left out of his squad in May. "He decides everything. Robert decides, and at the moment, it's like this. He wanted it this way, not me, not the club."
United's first-choice goalkeeper target was Andre Onana, who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax. Yet Inter Milan's £50m price tag was too much for the Red Devils. Other options include Frankfurt's Kevin Trapp and Feyenoord's Justin Bijlow.
Sanchez's most recent appearance for Brighton was their penalty shootout defeat to United in the FA Cup semi-final in April, which was goalless after 120 minutes. He failed to save any of United's seven penalties at Wembley.
Speaking to The Argus in 2017, Sanchez revealed his admiration for De Gea. He said: "When I was young it was [Iker] Casillas. But now De Gea is my role model. He is where I want to get to in five or six years. It will be difficult because that's at the top."
