Man Utd secret talks with world-class goalkeeper revealed: ‘He’s never been closer to leaving’

Man Utd held talks in the summer to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan before Senne Lammens signed, according to reports.

The Red Devils spent over £200m on new arrivals over the summer transfer window with Lammens arriving on deadline day to strengthen their goalkeeping ranks.

Andre Onana came under a lot of pressure last season over a number of high-profile errors with the Cameroon international leaving on loan to Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan until the end of the campaign.

There were rumours right up until deadline day that Man Utd could choose to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez over Lammens.

Reports since have claimed that the Red Devils preferred the ‘younger profile’ of Lammens and that Martinez ‘would also have cost United twice as much and would have demanded wages in the region of £200,000-a-week’.

And now French newspaper L’Equipe (via Get French Football News) claim that there was another goalkeeper that Man Utd had their eye on over the summer transfer window.

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AC Milan goalkeeper Maignan ‘was the subject of bids from Chelsea, as well as from Manchester United’ over the summer and has ‘never been closer to leaving’.

The report adds: ‘L’Equipe now reveals that Manchester United also tried to open talks to sign Maignan, as did Galatasaray. But either the project didn’t suit the Frenchman, or the Serie A side blocked the move. Talks over a contract extension at AC Milan are still ongoing but are not advancing. No definitive decision has been made, but the likelihood is a departure on a free transfer in the summer.’

Cameroonian journalist Remy N’Gono insisted after Onana’s departure on loan that the goalkeeper shouldn’t have joined Man Utd and that he was a “sacrificial lamb” for a poor season.

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N’Gono said: “I was the only one on this set who said that Onana shouldn’t go to Manchester United and that he would fail resoundingly.

He added: “It’s that Andre Onana who lost confidence. You shouldn’t have gone to that Manchester United team.

“What I blame Manchester United for is that Onana is almost becoming the sacrificial lamb. Because no one is going to tell me that Amorim arrived and in 30 matches, he only took 31 points out of 90, and that it was Onana who caused all that!”