Manchester United have been linked with Yassine Bounou following the goalkeeper’s heroics during the Qatar World Cup.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Bounou is “arousing passions” around Old Trafford, which has led to Sevilla pre-emptively beginning their search for a new keeper.
The shot-stopper has been in fantastic form of late as Morocco made history last Saturday by becoming the first African side ever to reach the semi-finals of the competition.
Bono, as he is commonly known, made three crucial saves against Portugal while marshalling his defence to assure that achievement by keeping his fourth clean sheet of the tournament.
While the Atlas Lions have impressed with their organisational acumen and fantastic discipline, their best player so far has arguably been their goalkeeper.
A look at his club form may cause some doubts, however. This season Sevilla have kept just one clean sheet in La Liga, conceding 22 goals in 14 matches.
They have also conceded, on average, two goals per game in their Champions League group, leaving them dropping into the Europa League while languishing in 18th place in their domestic league.
It would be unfair to lay much of the blame for the club’s failings at Bono’s door, of course, and Sevilla’s profligacy in front of goal along with the loss of last season’s imperious defensive partnership of Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos forcing them to sack Julen Lopetegui early in October.
But it is worth pointing out that the Moroccan’s club form would be unlikely to put him in the frame for a transfer to a bigger club.
And while Bono does surpass David de Gea in some key goalkeeping metrics, he is hardly the ‘sweeper keeper’ that many believe would be Erik ten Hag’s preference between the sticks.
Fichajes reported earlier in the week that Aston Villa were the most likely destination for Bono, with Emiliano Martinez attracting the attention of bigger clubs following his fantastic performances over the last couple of years.
Given Ten Hag’s requirements for a goalkeeper, it seems unlikely that Man United would be all that determined to get into a bidding war with Villa over Yassine Bounou.
The Red Devils would be unwise to base their hunt for a De Gea replacement on one tournament and with the Spaniard’s contract up this summer, are sure to be considering plenty of alternatives.
