Man Utd eye swoop to sign £18m star Odysseas Vlachodimos

Manchester United have stepped-up their interest in signing Odysseas Vlachodimos as Erik ten Hag eyes the Benfica goalkeeper as his next new recruit, according to reports via The Sun.

The Dutch coach spent over £200m in the summer transfer window overhauling the squad he inherited from Ralf Rangnick with the likes of Casemiro, Anthony, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia all arriving in big-money deals.

However, ten Hag is still wanting to bring in further reinforcements as he looks to build a squad capable of competing for major trophies again and a new top class goalkeeper is still on the agenda.

Man Utd were in the market for a new stopper in the summer and eventually opted to sign Martin Dubravka from Newcastle United with the Slovakian international now acting as back-up to David De Gea.

However, Dubravka is yet to play a single minute of football in any competition so far for United, which has led to speculation ten Hag may not fully trust the 33-year-old.

Number one goalkeeper De Gea’s long-term future at Old Trafford is also in serious doubt as the Spaniard’s contract expires next summer and he’s no closer to signing an extension.

Scouting

The uncertainty surrounding their current keepers has sparked rumours United are in the market for another goalie, and it appears they’re still showing a keen interest in Vlachodimos.

The 28-year-old was among the names linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer before they signed Dubravka and The Sun are citing a report from Sportime that claims they are still eyeing the stopper.

The report says Man Utd have stepped-up their interest in the Benfica star after sending scouts to watch him in action several times this season.

They’ll have been impressed with what they’ve seen as Vlachodimos has been excellent between the sticks for Benfica, keeping 9 clean sheets in his 17 appearances in all competitions so far.

The Greek international starred during Benfica’s 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the French giants only able to beat him via a Kylian Mbappe penalty.

Vlachodimos has less than two years left on his contract and The Sun says Benfica are prepared to cash-in if an offer of around £17.5m is put on the table.

That kind of money is unlikely to deter Man Utd if they decide to formalise their interest in the goalkeeper either in January or next summer.