Manchester United are edging closer to signing Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka.
Erik ten Hag has drawn up a list of positions he wanted strengthening, and one of them is goalkeeper.
Despite keeping his first clean sheet of the season against Southampton on Saturday, there has been a lot of pressure on current No.1 David de Gea this season, and after a disastrous performance against Brentford which saw the Spaniard concede four, there has been much debate as to the future of his position.
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Dean Henderon a few seasons ago seemed tipped to be the successor to De Gea, and for a while under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was seen as the new goalkeeper.
However, being struck with long COVID and an injury in the summer of 2021 saw Henderson lose his place at Manchester United for the following season, and only featured a handful of times under the Norwegian and subsequently Ralf Rangnick.
Many then theorised that Henderon’s traits would be seen as a positive by new manager Ten Hag, however Henderon chose to leave the club on loan to Nottingham Forest before the Dutchman could see him play.
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“To sit there and waste 12 months is criminal really, at my age. I was fuming,” said Henderson on the treatment he received last season.
This has left United in the awkward situation of having zero competition for David de Gea.
All players need competition to keep them on their toes and stop them from becoming complacent, and Erik ten Hag seems to have settled on Martin Dubravka of Newcastle to be that man.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Dubravka and Manchester United have already agreed personal terms, and it is now up to Newcastle to close the deal.
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United have submitted an official proposal of a one-year loan deal with an option to buy for a further £5 million.
Just a day after it was revealed the club will be splashing over £80 million on Brazilian winger Antony, who pulled out all the stops to join United, it seems that the goalkeeper is doing the same.
He has reportedly spoken to the Newcastle board and expressed his desire to play at Old Trafford as it is his ‘dream’.
Manchester United are set to play Leicester City in the Premier League on Thursday.
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This fixture could well see the debut for Antony – who will become the second most expensive player in the club’s history.
The final deal is set to be completed on Monday, with Antony due to fly to Manchester either Monday or Tuesday to complete his medical.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Newcastle United, David De Gea, Dean Henderson
