Manchester United Are Chasing $142M Goalkeeper Amid Rise Of Dean Henderson: Report

Manchester United are preparing to look for a goalkeeper this summer window as a long-term replacement for their first-choice gloveman David de Gea.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and company have eyes on Jan Oblak but the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper may prove to be very expensive, Sky Sports reported. Manchester United have been monitoring Oblak for more than a year, with the club’s recruitment staff currently analyzing the upcoming market amid the uncertainty over the future of de Gea and out-of-contract Sergio Romero at Old Trafford.

The report has further stated that de Gea, who has been at Manchester United for a decade now, is contemplating returning to Madrid permanently, where his wife works as a television presenter. He is currently gone home on paternity leave for the birth of his first child, giving young English goalkeeper Dean Henderson a series of games to establish himself as Manchester United’s first-choice keeper. But even if the 23-year-old proves his worth, the club has decided to add another goalkeeper during the 2021 summer window.

Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster, who played for Manchester United between 2005 and 2010, has backed Henderson, saying the young goalie has the right mentality to become the club’s No. 1.

"Dean is a proper goalkeeper. You ask anybody in football nowadays that has watched him play and you can just see that he has got it. He has got the ability. The main thing with playing for a team like Manchester United is having the mentality. When I was at Manchester United all those years ago, I felt like I had the ability, but I definitely didn't have the mentality. I wasn't ready for it but with Dean, nothing seems to faze him," Foster was quoted by Goal, as saying, in an interview.

Apart from Slovenia’s Oblak, Manchester United are also keeping an eye on AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is due to become a free agent at the end of the season unless a new deal is agreed, and Lille No. 1 Mike Maignan. Both are expected to be more affordable signings than Oblak, who is considered to be among the current goalkeepers.

The 28-year-old Oblak is contracted with Atletico Madrid until 2023 and has a release clause of around $142 million as per the deal. After the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the amount appears to be very expensive for even the biggest clubs in the world in 2021. Oblak has been at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium since 2014 and has helped the club win three trophies, including the Europa League in the 2017-18 campaign.