Manchester United has reached a personal agreement for a £20 million signing of the new De Gea! Onana stays, and the two will compete for the starting spot.

Manchester United is taking concrete steps to acquire Senne Lammens, the goalkeeper from Royal Antwerp in Belgium. Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano revealed that personal terms are settled, but the clubs are still discussing the transfer fee, which may end up being €20 million (£17 million) for the Red Devils.

Romano explained: "As far as I know, Manchester United is still working on bringing in Lammens, and negotiations are ongoing. Personal terms are almost finalized, with active talks between United and the Belgian keeper, ahead of some French and Italian clubs, but it also depends on the selling club's situation."

There were rumors in the UK media that Manchester City is also pursuing Lammens, but Romano dismissed those as mere speculation. "Manchester United and Antwerp are in advanced talks, with the transfer fee close to €20 million," he said. "Lammens has agreed to join United; he hasn’t negotiated with City because their target is Donnarumma, provided Ederson leaves."

UK media revealed that Manchester United has been in contact with 23-year-old Lammens since last December. He came from Club Brugge and has made 65 appearances since moving to Antwerp. Lammens has been called up to the Belgian national team but has yet to make an official appearance. In the 2024/25 season, he made 178 saves and conceded 15.8 fewer goals than expected, ranking first worldwide.

In terms of style, Lammens is tall and lean, quick in reflexes, but prefers to stay close to the goal line and relies on his feet for saves. Manchester United fans are familiar with this trait, as it closely resembles the style of club legend David De Gea! Therefore, besides being compared to compatriot Courtois, he is also dubbed the new De Gea. Lammens is not a possession-based goalkeeper, but Ruben Amorim doesn't require his keeper to organize attacks; protecting the goal is more important.

Romano stated that once Lammens joins Manchester United, one of the current goalkeepers might leave at the end of the transfer window, with the club eager to act quickly. Given the transfer fee and wages involved, 27-year-old Turkish international Altay Bayındır is more likely to be sold, as André Onana is harder to offload.

The British Daily Mail reported that Manchester United expects Onana to remain at the club this summer, and he may return to the starting lineup in Sunday’s Premier League away match against Fulham. In the opening round, a 0-1 loss to Arsenal, Bayındır, who replaced him, made a critical error that led to the winning goal.

After missing preseason training due to a hamstring injury, Onana was completely left out of the squad for the first round. Amorim has been reluctant to confirm that the 29-year-old Cameroonian remains his first-choice goalkeeper. When asked if Onana would start in the second league match, the Red Devils’ coach replied: "If Onana is fit to play, just like last week, we now need to decide who will guard the goal."

If Onana regains his starting position, according to the Manchester Evening News, it would "destroy Bayındır’s confidence." Having lost the spot for the second time, Bayındır is likely destined to leave. Manchester United still does not plan to sign a high-profile goalkeeper; if Lammens transfers to United, he may not immediately become the undisputed starter but will compete with Onana and will have opportunities to play in the Premier League.

According to "Athletic," Manchester United originally planned not to bring in a new goalkeeper unless Onana was sold. However, the defeat to Arsenal in the first league match due to goalkeeper issues has changed this stance. Furthermore, the Africa Cup of Nations will take place during the Christmas schedule from late December to early January next year, and Onana will represent Cameroon, requiring United to have another goalkeeper available.

BBC’s Simon Stone said Manchester United’s last 10 days of the summer transfer window will be very busy, and it’s possible they will sign players before the window closes. Lammens is currently the only concrete target, but this depends on selling players first. At the moment, the player closest to leaving is forward Hojlund, who is in advanced talks with Napoli.