Manchester United’s pursuit of a new goalkeeper has been given a boost with Premier League side Brentford announcing the signing of Mark Flekken as a potential replacement for David Raya.
A club as well-run and as organised as Thomas Frank’s Brentford were never going to leave anything to chance as their Spanish shot-stopper weighs up his options.
David Raya, one of a number of goalkeepers scouted by Manchester United ahead of the summer transfer window, has made no secret of his desire for a fresh start, turning down the chance to extend a contract which expires in 2024 (The Telegraph).
And with Brentford now confirming Flekken’s arrival on a four-year deal from Bundesliga outfit Freiburg, the Bees have now ensured that – if Raya does get his way – there is a contingency plan in place.
Could Brentford’s David Raya be Man United’s new goalkeeper?
“I’m very excited,” says Flekken, the £11 million Dutch international who helped Freiburg qualify for the Europa League. “It’s a whole new chapter for me and the next big step in my career.
“I’m really looking forward to my time here at Brentford and it’s really lovely to be here.
Flekken describes himself as a very modern, ‘ball-playing’ goalkeeper. It’s his pinpoint distribution – as well as his cat-like reflexes – which makes the 29-year-old a potentially inspired Raya replacement.
Raya, after all, is so impressive with the ball at his feet that Jurgen Klopp once quipped he should ‘have the number ten (shirt)’ on his back
‘What top level football demands’
Erik ten Hag, in an interview with The Times this week, indicated that the long-serving but increasingly-maligned David de Gea would no longer be his go-to first-choice at Old Trafford next season, pointing out that – if United are to close the gap to rivals City – they will need an Ederson of their very own.
“I will not say he’ll always be my number ten,” the Dutchman begins. “Because, in a club like Man United, there must be competition in all positions. You can’t do it with 11 players.It is impossible. You need double positions.”
“(A goalkeeper who can pass the ball) is not what I want. It’s more what top football demands nowadays. If you observe the biggest teams, you have to be capable of playing from the back. (You have to) use your ‘keeper as a plus one in your back. Otherwise, it’s very simple for opponents to put you under pressure.
“He (De Gea) had to step up. In a number of games, he showed progression.”
Raya would certainly represent a huge upgrade on De Gea in the ‘ball-playing’ department. A £40 million asking price, however, may be a rather sizeable obstacle in his path. Manchester United, after all, will have reservations about spending £40 million on a player who will become a free-agent just 12 months down the line.
“If Brentford do not lower the price tag for David Raya this summer, we will be ready to leave for free in a year,” the former Blackburn man’s agent, Jaume Munell, tells Fabrizio Romano.
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