Manchester United could reportedly consider joining Chelsea in the running to seal the transfer of Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
In what may be one of the most significant pieces of transfer news this summer, it seems the goalkeeper merry-go-round saga just got a little bit more interesting.
United need a replacement for the struggling David de Gea, and though they have promising youngster Dean Henderson coming through, it may be that they’ll try their luck with a big move for Oblak instead, according to the Sun.
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The report explains that the Red Devils want to be kept in the loop on the Slovenia international’s situation, with Atletico perhaps set to sell him for less than his £109million release clause due to needing to sell players in order to finance signings for other areas of their squad.
Chelsea have also recently been linked with Oblak by the Daily Mirror, and it’s clear they’d also benefit from making a change in goal this summer.
Like Man Utd, the Blues have a struggling Spanish shot-stopper right now who just doesn’t look good enough for the job, with Kepa Arrizabalaga never quite settling in at Stamford Bridge.
Oblak would surely be a huge upgrade, but it remains to be seen how much more spending power Chelsea have this summer after already sealing deals for Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.
That could favour United, but if Oblak ends up at Old Trafford it could also have other major repercussions for Chelsea.
Even if CFC might well prefer a more proven ‘keeper in Oblak, they’ve also been strongly linked with United youngster Henderson in that position.
A recent report from the Manchester Evening News claimed they’d contacted Henderson’s representatives with a big-money contract offer after his impressive form on loan at Sheffield United.
Some MUFC supporters will surely want Henderson promoted to number one over the out-of-form De Gea, but a move for Oblak would surely end the 23-year-old’s hopes of achieving that any time soon.
It will be interesting to see how this saga pans out, but United could well live to regret splashing the cash on a big name like Oblak if Henderson ends up fulfilling his potential at a rival club.
The Manchester giants have made some questionable decisions in the transfer market in recent times, while Chelsea also know a thing or two about favouring big signings over youngsters, only to then see those youngsters leave and become superstars for your rivals, as was the case with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.