Welcome to the summer silly season! And of course, you can’t say “summer transfer window” at Manchester United and not talk Jadon Sancho. The latest on the Borussia Dortmund winger and English international can be found over at this link.
Today, we’re going to stuck with the England theme, covering a right back and a goalkeeper, neither of which is expected to immediately slot into the first team. Atletico Madrid fullback Kieran Trippier, who used to play in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, has been linked to Old Trafford quite a bit this summer.
In fact, the potential is there for this to be another prolonged and protracted transfer saga this summer, a la Jadon Sancho. Which would then likely put it in the annals with similar tedious United transfer sagas like Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, David de Gea and Arturo Vidal.
That’s because United have already seen their opening bid for Trippier rejected, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Atleti are reportedly holding out for a transfer fee of around €40m despite the player being 30 years old and entering the final year of his contract.
Initially, it was thought that €33 million would be enough to get this transaction over the line, and many people balked at that sum. So 40m Euro seems even more outrageous for a guy that would only be tasked with trying to provide Aaron Wan-Bissaka with competition.
Atlético Madrid turned down an opening proposal from Manchester United for Kieran Trippier. Price tag still around €40m to sell the right back. ??????? #MUFC #Atleti
…and Tom Heaton completed his medical with Manchester United today – he’s set to sign until June 2023. ? #ManUtd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 16, 2021
Now we move on to the second part of that tweet above- Tom Heaton has completed his medical and is now set to become the club’s first signing of the season. The 35-year-old backup goalkeeper moves over from Aston Villa on a free transfer with his contract having expired.
He basically replaces Sergio Romero, who the club finally set free after committing egregious wrongs against him. (Seriously, for what Romero accomplished at the club, he truly deserved so much better).
Heaton will provide back-up for Dean Henderson, and potentially David de Gea.
Although it is worth noting that De Gea himself could be on the move this summer, so we’ll see. As always, watch this space.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
