Manchester United are closing in on the transfer of Belgian shotstopper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp this summer, according to CaughtOffside.
Following the 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the opening weekend of the Premier League, United legend Gary Neville told Sky Sports that ‘There is a glaring issue for Manchester United that cannot be ignored, and that is they need to find a new goalkeeper.’ Two games later, it cannot be overstated how much a goalkeeping upgrade is needed at Old Trafford.
While Emile Smith Rowe’s equaliser at Craven Cottage cannot be directly faulted on the goalkeeper, Riccardo Calafiori’s header, as well as Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren’s first-half goals in Grimsby Town’s historic win against United, were saveable goals. Andre Onana was guilty of fluffing his lines, especially for the second goal.
It now appears Ruben Amorim’s patience is wearing thin, and a new goalkeeper could be set to join imminently, as CaughtOffside claims that the Red Devils are ‘on the verge’ of signing highly-rated Belgium U21 international goalkeeper Lammens from Antwerp.
Having held advanced talks for the 6ft 3in shotstopper, Manchester United have decided to ‘improve’ their offer to £17m after initially submitting a £14m offer to the Jupiler Pro League outfit, as per the report.
Shotstopper
CaughtOffside adds that the Premier League giants are ‘now accelerating efforts to formalise Lammens’ transfer to Old Trafford and are confident of getting the deal done amid interest from Inter Milan and Galatasaray.
Beyond maintaining complete authority inside his penalty box, Lammens has also distinguished himself as an outstanding shot-stopper. In the Belgian Pro League during the last campaign, he registered more saves than any other goalkeeper (127). He was placed within the top one per cent of goalkeepers across Europe’s top 20 divisions for goals prevented, according to Statman Dave.
Supporters of Man United will be encouraged as well by the fact that the Antwerp goalkeeper is equally proficient in distribution with either foot— an aspect in which Onana has been heavily criticised since making the switch from Inter in 2023.
In many respects, he embodies the exact profile Manchester United have long been seeking — tall, physically strong, authoritative, and willing to dominate his area. For a side still searching for stability in goals over the long term, Lammens represents the potential answer.
