Manchester United are closing in on a move to sign Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens in an £18million deal, talkSPORT understands.
The Red Devils have decided against bringing in Aston Villa shot-stopper Emi Martinez.
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Martinez was an option for United in the closing hours of the transfer window.
With rumors swirling about a potential move to Old Trafford, Martinez was absent from Aston Villa’s lineup during their loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
But United have opted instead to sign Lammens, with the 23-year-old travelling to England for his medical and to complete his switch.
Lammens has already agreed personal terms with United on a five-year contract.
talkSPORT first reported Manchester United’s interest in Lammens in July
The Belgium Under-21 international has been left out of his team’s last two league matches amid speculation over his future.
Although a transfer to United seems unlikely, it’s reported that the Villans are keen to sell the 2022 World Cup winner before the Monday night deadline of 7pm.
Why are Manchester United signing a new goalkeeper?
United have been plagued by bad performances in goal for much of Ruben Amorim’s tenure.
Altay Bayindir was at fault for Riccardo Calafiori’s matchwinner in their opening game of the season against Arsenal.
Recently, in a 3-2 victory over Burnley, he made another costly mistake by allowing a shot to slip through his hands, which Jaidon Anthony capitalized on for Burnley’s second goal.
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Meanwhile, Andre Onana was the face of humiliation against League Two side Grimsby in the Carabao Cup second round.
Initially, Lammens was considered a backup option to Onana, but this perspective might change following Onana’s rough start this season and ongoing inconsistencies since joining from Inter Milan in 2023.
Onana was responsible for both goals in United’s 2-2 Carabao Cup tie against Grimsby, which ended in a penalty shootout. During the match, despite getting his glove on the ball, he failed to prevent multiple goals.
Amorim was questioned about the goalkeeper in particular post-match, but refused to single anyone out.
“I think something needs to change. Right now, our focus should be on the coming weekend’s match [against Burnley], and then we can reassess,” he commented in response.
“In the first half, I told them that they were speaking really loud to me: ‘I understand what you are doing, what I am seeing. Let’s try to change that in the 45 minutes’.
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“It’s not the goalkeepers. It’s more than that. It’s everyone. Thank you.”
Despite his comments, Bayindir was again at fault for Burnley’s second equaliser of the match, with Amorim having to put up another defence.
“They are humans. At Manchester United, everything is analysed,” he said after the edgy 3-2 win.
“Everybody talks about the goalkeeper. And you can see, I can change the goalkeeper and these situations keep happening. We are in that moment.
“I think it is hard to be a Manchester United goalkeeper in this moment. But if you look at the first goal, we can defend it better.
“We suffered a quite similar goal against Fulham, because we don’t do the full rotation of the team when the ball is on the other side.
“All these small things have nothing to do with the goalkeeper.”
