Manchester United want to sign goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic from Dinamo Zagreb and are prepared to pay his £8.9million release clause.
It comes as David de Gea’s future at United has come under major doubt following on from his calamitous performance in Erik ten Hag’s side’s elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Sevilla last week.
De Gea was at fault for all three goals that the Spanish side scored which highlighted his vulnerabilities in the position. The goalkeeper enjoyed a much-improved performance in the FA Cup semi-final triumph over Brighton, keeping a clean sheet before United progressed on a penalty shootout.
However, that victory at Wembley saw De Gea being instructed to play differently – regularly launching long balls down the pitch rather than attempt to play out from the back. This meant that Ten Hag fundamentally changed how his side approached the match compared to his ideal setup.
It has now been highlighted by Jutarnji in Croatia, as cited by Sport Witness, that Livakovic is wanted by United. The 28-year-old has been the number one shot-stopper at Dinamo for seven seasons and he impressed for Croatia in their run to the semi finals of the World Cup in December.
The Croat has been number one at international level for five years and is an experienced shot-stopper, having also regularly appeared in European competition for Dinamo Zagreb. However, it is unclear if United’s plan for Livakovic to become their undisputed number one or to provide competition for another goalkeeper.
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It is claimed by the reports in his native country that the goalkeeper wants an annual salary of £1.05million – something that Dinamo are not willing to give the green light to. Such a wage demand would not be an issue at Old Trafford.
There is likely to be significant change in the goalkeeping department this summer with De Gea out of contract at the club. It has been claimed that there are negotiations between the Spaniard and United to extend his deal but these have reached a standstill – with a significant wage decrease believed to have been floated.
The club’s other two goalkeepers are also out of contract in the summer – the contracts of Tom Heaton and Jack Butland are both set to expire in June. It is unclear if either or both will pen new deals at Old Trafford.
