The Manchester United fans here in the Transfer Tavern are already drooling at the prospect of a busy summer in the way of recruitment, and speculation has began to mount over which players might come in to the club.
One area United could be forced to strengthen is between the posts, as the future of current first-choice stopper David De Gea remains in the air.
The Spaniard has never hidden from the face that he wishes to return to his homeland at some point in his career, and murmurs here in the Tavern have suggested that Real Madrid will test the water with another mammoth offer in the off season.
The world class stopper will fetch probably the highest fee ever seen paid for a goalkeeper, which should give United plenty of flexibility in pursuing a replacement.
As talk among the regulars at the bar turns to who they would like to see replace De Gea, Lee Clarke offers them five goalkeepers who he thinks United should look to sign in the absence of De Gea.
Hit De Gea below to see FIVE potential replacements for him at Man United!
[ffc-gallery]
[/ffc-gallery]
Hugo Lloris
The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper is arguably the best in the Premier League and on par with current United stopped David De Gea.
United have been linked with the Frenchman previously and a move for the custodian looks a big possibility if the Red Devils do opt to cash in on their current number one.
Spurs might be above United in the league for now but whether they can reproduce this seasons form year upon year remains to be seen and it is hard to imagine a club like United being as poor as they have been this season forever.
Jack Butland
Arguably the standout goalkeeper of this season is Stoke City’s Butland and on current form the Potters must be pretty anxious as to how much longer they can keep hold of their stopper.
Firmly established as the Potter’s number one, and also as the back-up goalkeeper to Joe Hart in the England set up, Butland has kept Stoke in games single handed at times this season.
A really grounded youngster, Butland is set for a really bright future in the game and Manchester United could do a lot worse, should de Gea depart.
Manuel Neuer
It would take a monumental bid to lure Neuer away from the Allianz Arena, but it is hard to imagine the Germany number one staying with Bayern Munich for the rest of his career.
United could even decide to play the sweeper keeper at the heart of the back line if their current defensive problems don’t ease, but all jokes aside, there are probably only a handful of clubs who can afford Neuer and United are definitely one of those.
The lanky keeper has won just about everything there is to win in world football and seems only a matter of time before he leaves to have a bash at another top European league.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
The Barcelona keeper has began to perform as people know he can following a shaky start to his career at the Nou Camp.
The German international has established himself as the Catalans’ number one keeper and was reportedly a target for Liverpool in the January transfer window.
A solid shot stopper with superb distribution, Ter-Stegen would surely be on United’s shortlist should they have to enter the market for a new goalkeeper in the near future.
Having won the treble with Barcelona last season, there isn’t really a great deal else for him to accomplish over in Spain, which could lead to a move.
Samir Handanovic
The transfer of Handanovic to Manchester United is probably the least likely of the five in this compilation to come off, purely because of the Yugoslavian’s age.
The Inter Milan stopper is already 31-years-old and although that isn’t particularly old for a goalkeeper, United are likely to target someone who is the other side of 30.
Few could argue with Handonovic’s credentials however and he is performing admirably this season for Roberto Mancini’s team over in Serie A.
It is highly unlikely also that Mancini would do Manchester United any super deals in terms of a transfer fee given his Manchester City links.
