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Manchester United could be given a major boost in their efforts to sign a goalkeeping replacement for David de Gea with the revelation that Yann Sommer was only signed to Bayern Munich as a stop-gap replacement for the injured Manuel Neuer.
United were heavily interested in Sommer in January after Martin Dubravka‘s abrupt exit from the club left the team a man short in the goalkeeping union.
A move did not materialize and Sommer joined Bayern Munich to act as cover for Neuer.
The Germany national team number one suffered a freak leg break on a post-World Cup skiing trip.
Bayern scrambled to sign someone to fill in and so turned to Sommer, who was on United’s radar.
Sommer signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Bayern Munich after they paid Borussia Monchengladbach £7m to sign him.
The Red Devils were keen to sign a goalkeeper to either replace De Gea or at the very least, provide competition for the Spaniard.
Ten Hag reportedly has reservations about De Gea’s suitability for his system and recently, these doubts have only grown louder.
De Gea was arguably at fault for all three goals United conceded in Seville on their way to Europa League elimination. As United beat Brighton on Sunday at Wembley to advance to the FA Cup finals, despite three great saves, De Gea’s shortcomings were on full display again.
Against the backdrop of De Gea’s horror show in Andalusia just a few days before, Ten Hag was forced to abandon his preferred tactic of playing out from the back and building play.
United went long at every instance, which put the team on the backfoot against Roberto De Zerbi’s possession-based team.
Despite winning on penalties, De Gea did not save any and only a piece of luck by way of Solly March’s poor effort from the spot-kick before Victor Lindelof‘s calm and composed finish secured a spot in the final.
The Peoples Person covered a report which detailed that Ten Hag wants a goalkeeper capable of playing with his feet.
Ten Hag is keen to add a goalkeeper to his ranks in the summer as a De Gea alternative but the Dutchman is conscious of the fact that there are more urgent positions that require to be addressed.
If a report by Kicker is anything to go by, a second swoop for Sommer might not be far-fetched. According to the outlet, Bayern bosses and executives did not want Sommer and heavily preferred former Leicester City shot-stopper, Kasper Schmeichel.
The German giants were locked in negotiations with Schmeichel, who would have possibly signed for six months, giving Neuer enough time to recover and come back for next season.
However, former Bayern boss, Julian Nagelsmann vetoed the idea and elected to sign Sommer.
Kicker reports, “Sommer was considered the goalkeeper of choice to replace Manuel Neuer after the Munich captain sustained a serious injury in the winter. However, those responsible at Bayern Munich were not entirely unanimous when it came to the Swiss signing.”
“The Munich team had already come a long way with Kasper Schmeichel, and they wanted to present him with an offer ready to be signed. The keeper from Nice would have been ready to switch to Säbener Straße immediately. For half a year – exactly the predicted downtime from Neuer.”
“Ex-coach Julian Nagelsmann really wanted a German-speaking goalkeeper and, like sports director Hasan Salihamidzic, a goalkeeper who would sign for longer than just six months.”
Kicker adds that Neuer is working hard to return to competitive action. His teammates are all impressed with his work ethic.
The plan is for the veteran 37-year-old to assume his role as starting goalkeeper next term.
“Under coach Thomas Tuchel, if everything goes according to plan, [Neuer] should be number 1 between the posts again,” the report states.
“However, that would be the next problem for Sommer. If the Swiss has to take a seat on the bench, his European Championship would be in danger as Switzerland’s number 1 – because Gregor Kobel, his competitor, would then get more match practice at Borussia Dortmund.”
Sommer’s uncertain future at Bayern presents a golden opportunity for United to pounce and get their man after missing out on him just a few months ago.
As contract negotiations with De Gea rumble on, this world class star could offer United a good alternative if they want one. Sommer would not command a hefty transfer fee and could be keen to join if a starting spot was available.
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