Manchester United have identified Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan as a possible new number one if David de Gea leaves the club.
The 23-year-old has been a fixture between the sticks for the French outfit this season, helping them to secure a second place finish in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint Germain.
The Frenchman recently earned a call-up to the Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus squad and has been tipped for a bright future at the highest level.
As per Goal – According to football journalist Duncan Castles, Man United scouts have been watching Maignan for months, as the club lines up a surprise potential replacement for De Gea.
Castles told the Transfer Window Podcast: “The player in question is Mike Maignan, the goalkeeper at Lille, who’s just been voted the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 for his performances in their campaign where they finished second.
“Potentially, we could actually see Maignan, with the quality of his play, as a potential [De Gea] replacement for Manchester United, who have scouted him a lot.”
De Gea has been strongly linked with a summer exit at Old Trafford, having stalled negotiations over a new contract since the turn of the year.
The Spaniard has one year remaining on his current deal and is unwilling to commit his future to United until he is given assurances over his wage packet and the club’s ambitions in the coming years – as per Sky Sports.
Metro Sport recently reported that Paris Saint Germain are keeping a close eye on the 28-year-old’s situation and could launch a bid for his services when the market reopens.
De Gea has been a fantastic servant for the Red Devils since his switch from Atletico Madrid eight years ago, fully establishing himself as one of the world’s finest shot-stoppers.
However, his performances in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign left much to be desired and he seems to have been affected by off the field issues.
Maignan would be an unexpected choice to fill De Gea’s boots this summer, but he could develop into a world-class shot-stopper as he approaches his prime and he could be brought in for a bargain fee, with his current market value set at around €12 million – as per Transfermarkt.
