Man Utd to complete ESSENTIAL signing
Robin Bairner
- 24 Aug 2023 10:02 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United will sign Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce to become their backup goalkeeper this season.
United have been linked with a string of players who might have offered support to Andre Onana but, according to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabancuolglu, Erik ten Hag’s side will pay €7 million to secure the services of Bayindir.
Fenerbahce will receive €6m of this payment, with the other €1m representing a FIFA Solidarity Contribution.
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In return, Fener will sign Croatia international shot-stopper Dominik Livakovic from Dinamo Zagreb for under €10m.
Bayindir has been Fenerbahce’s first-choice goalkeeper since signing from Ankaragucu in 2019, though he was restricted to just 26 league appearances last term because of hernia surgery.
He has since overcome his injury problems, featuring four times for the Istanbul giants this season.
Bayindir, however, has been benched for each of the club’s last two fixtures, when rumours that he was ready to move to Manchester United really started to build.
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Why do Man Utd need another goalkeeper?
Man Utd are in the market for support for Onana following the unexpected departure of first-choice goalkeeper David de Gea as a free agent this summer. Furthermore, Jack Butland, who was the backup last season, was only at the club and departed when his deal expired in the summer.
Dean Henderson, who spent last term on loan at Nottingham Forest and has featured on the bench this season, returned to the club but is expected to leave on a permanent basis as he seeks clarity over his future following the arrival of Ten Hag at the club last summer.
Henderson is expected to fetch a considerably higher sum than €7m - around €23m (£20m) is targeted by Man Utd - with the additional revenue potentially going into other areas of the squad, such as the midfield and defence, which Ten Hag has earmarked for improvement since the beginning of the summer.
Man Utd’s progress on the transfer front this summer, meanwhile, has been painfully slow, as evidenced by the glacial movement on the Sofyan Amrabat deal. This has been largely due to the uncertainty generated by the club’s ownership with the takeover process having stalled.
