Manchester United are closing in on the permanent transfer of Belgian international goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
It is evident that United require a goalkeeping upgrade at Old Trafford despite having André Onana, Altay Bayındır, and Tom Heaton in their ranks.
Although much of last season’s defensive shortcomings stemmed from a shaky backline that frequently left the goalkeeper exposed, Onana was still culpable of repeated lapses in judgement, conceding goals he ought to have prevented.
Bayındır, meanwhile, has shown glimpses of promise — notably his performance against Arsenal on the opening weekend. Yet, the goal conceded in that exact match highlighted that he cannot be entirely relied upon.
Therefore, a move for a more reliable goalkeeper should be essential, with Lammens, who has arguably been the best goalkeeper in the Jupiler Pro League, emerging as a prime target.
Now, according to Romano, the Red Devils are accelerating talks to formalise the transfer of the Belgium international to Old Trafford this summer.
In a previous post, the reputable journalist claimed that the Premier League giants were in active talks with the 23-year-old over personal terms. He now confirms that an agreement has been reached with the goalkeeper, who has now agreed on a move to Man Utd this month.
Shotstopper
Romano also reports that United are now closing in on the permanent transfer of the 6ft 3in shotstopper for a fee around £17m plus add-ons, although Antwerp are demanding £21m to sanction his departure from the Bosuilstadion.
Lammens finished last season as the Belgian Pro League’s top shot-stopper, registering the most saves in the division and a strong 78% save rate.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of his ability, though, was his goals prevented metric: he denied over 15 goals above expectation. To put that into perspective, André Onana’s figure was just 0.53 across the same period, according to FotMob.
In many ways, he fits the very mould Man United have been searching for — tall, athletic, commanding, and brave enough to take ownership of his box. For a club still in need of a long-term solution between the posts, Lammens offers the promise of precisely that.
While the standard of finishing in the Premier League is higher, Lammens’ qualities suggest he is capable of making the step up and will only get even better in time, just like David de Gea when he first arrived on the shores at Old Trafford in 2011.
