Man Utd on verge of completing first January arrival as club draws up replacement plan ahead of Old Trafford move

Manchester United are closing in on making a Bundesliga goalkeeper their first January signing after his current club reportedly created a replacement plan.

Man Utd’s current number one is David de Gea. Erik ten Hag also has Martin Dubravka and Tom Heaton in his squad, while Dean Henderson is out on loan at Nottingham Forest.

Henderson is the only one of those goalkeepers under the age of 32. It is clear Man Utd have a big decision to make when it comes to their first-choice shot-stopper.

They could continue to put their faith in De Gea. He has been a loyal servant to the club since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, and at 32 he still has a few more years until he retires.

Alternatively, the Red Devils could revamp their keeper options completely and bring in one, or even two, new players in the position in 2023.

And reports suggest this could be exactly what Ten Hag wants. While De Gea is a brilliant shot-stopper, he is not as good with his feet as other keepers in the Premier League.

This has led to rumours of a potential Man Utd bid for Diogo Costa. The Porto man is currently on international duty with Portugal and has helped them reach the quarter-finals, where they will come up against Morocco on Saturday.

However, it doesn’t look like Costa is going to be the first keeper to join Man Utd in January. Instead, Yann Sommer is edging closer to joining the Manchester giants.

On Monday, sources in Germany reported Man Utd were in talks with Sommer and Borussia Monchengladbach about the potential move.

With the Switzerland international in the final year of his Gladbach contract, he could leave on the cheap this winter. Gladbach would rather sell him for a small fee than let him leave on a free transfer at the end of the campaign.

ESPN provided an update on the situation earlier on Friday. They claim Sommer will arrive at Old Trafford to challenge De Gea for his starting spot, rather than fully replace him. Dubravka, meanwhile, will go back to Newcastle once his Man Utd loan ends.

Sky Sport Germany now give their take on the Summer to Man Utd rumours. They reveal Man Utd are moving closer to getting the deal over the line and Gladbach are already looking at potential replacements.

Yvon Mvogo is the man they have in mind. He was on RB Leipzig’s books between 2017 and July 2022 but didn’t live up to expectations. As such, he left the German club for FC Lorient before the start of the season.

Gladbach are interested in taking Mvogo back to the Bundesliga, should they lose Sommer. He doesn’t possess as much experience as Sommer, but there is hope among Gladbach officials that he can become equally as important.

Sky Sport Germany claim Sommer is currently deciding on his future following Switzerland’s World Cup exit at the hands of Portugal. While he has not accepted Man Utd’s proposal just yet, he is highly likely to do so. After all, opportunities like this don’t often come around.

Sommer is a reliable keeper who would be a good backup for De Gea. But Man Utd fans will probably want a younger player with more potential to arrive at the club and eventually replace De Gea.

Costa fits into that bracket. So don’t be surprised if Man Utd capture Sommer in January and sign Costa later in the year.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Aston Villa have found out how much it will cost to sign a World Cup forward, although he would rather join Man Utd.