Manchester United are reportedly contemplating signing Lazio star Ivan Provedel, as per the Italian outlet Sport Quotidiano.
Erik ten Hag opted to revamp the goalkeeping department by signing Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir last summer after letting Dean Henderson and David de Gea leave the club.
However, while Onana has found it difficult to perform at his best in the English top-flight, Bayindir has seemingly failed to win the trust of Ten Hag as he is yet to make his debut for Man Utd.
So, it appears Man Utd have already started to explore the market to sign a new shot-stopper to bolster their goalkeeping department.
Now, according to the report by Sport Quotidiano, Man Utd have been expressing their interest in signing Provedel so they could make a swoop for him in January or next summer. However, the report claims that Lazio don’t want to let their star man leave and are planning to tie the goalkeeper down into a new long-term contract.
Provedel to Man Utd
Provedel still has more than three and a half years left in his current contract so Lazio are in a strong position to demand a sizeable fee if they are forced to cash-in on him and it has been suggested that the Italian side could ask for a fee of around £30m.
The 29-year-old, standing at 6ft 4in tall, is an excellent shot-stopper and is comfortable playing out from the back. He has made saves at a rate of 73% this season, keeping seven clean-sheets in 20 league appearances.
Provedel can play the sweeper-keeper role and is also brilliant in the air. So, he could be a shrewd signing for the record Premier League champions if they secure his signature.
However, having recently signed Onana by splashing £47m last summer, it is highly unlikely that Man Utd will look to sign a new goalkeeper to replace the Cameroonian just yet. In addition, Provedel is too good of a player to play as a second fiddle to Onana.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Man Utd eventually opt to make a concrete approach to sign Provedel in January or next summer to reinforce their goalkeeping position.
