Football
Exclusive: Mike Maignan in Man United’s Sights as Chelsea Face Transfer Battle for Milan Shot-Stopper
Manchester United believe they can beat Chelsea to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to address their goalkeeping issues. Despite recent signings, the club is still eyeing experienced keepers after a worrying run of form. Maignan’s consistency and experience make him an attractive option for United.
Mike Maignan of AC Milan celebrates during the Serie A... by Nicolò Campo | Getty Images
Manchester United believe they can beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signature of AC Milan star shot-stopper Mike Maignan, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
United’s goalkeeping issues have been well-documented and a huge question mark remains over whether Turkish keeper Altay Bayindir is good enough to be the club’s number one.
The 27-year-old has already made a string of high-profile mistakes during his short Old Trafford stay so far, while former first-choice keeper Andre Onana was farmed out on loan to Turkish club Trabzonspor for the remainder of the season.
And our sources have learnt that’s why United, despite the high-profile capture of Belgium goalie Senne Lammens, are still eyeing up buying a keeper with plenty of experience.
Traditionally United have always had a consistent keeper between the posts, with Peter Schmeichel, David de Gea and Edwin van der Sar having proven consistent performers during their times respectively at the club.
But in recent years, bad mistakes from Onana and Bayindir have only served towards the club’s worrying run of form, especially last season which resulted in United’s worst-ever Premier League finish.
Former Belgium Under-21 international Lammens was bought for £18million this summer but has yet to start a game for the club.
STUTTERING START
It begs the question whether United boss Ruben Amorim even has faith that he is ready to play for the club, with Bayindir preferred so far in a stuttering start to the season which sees United languishing in 14th place in the table after three defeats from their first six league fixtures.
Chelsea have been long-time admirers of France international keeper Maignan, whose current deal expires next summer.
The 34-cap international has been a consistent performer for AC Milan in Serie A during the past four seasons.
And that’s just one of the reasons United are also attracted to the player who, with 169 games under his belt for the Italian giants, is an attractive proposition to sign as a player they could easily throw straight into the mix and help solve their defensive issues.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.