Amorim to dump Ten Hag favourite for ‘top’ signing as Brighton, Belgium stars eyed

Ruben Amorim is keen to replace Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana and is interested in Brighton & Hove Albion star Bart Verbruggen plus a Belgian talent, as per reports.

Onana followed his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag to Man Utd in July 2023 when the Red Devils paid £47million to make him David de Gea’s replacement. Ten Hag felt that Onana’s ability on the ball would help United to play out from the back.

While the 28-year-old has better vision than De Gea and has pulled off some great saves in a United shirt, he has also been guilty of some very poor errors.

Ten Hag’s replacement, Amorim, is understood to be on the hunt for a new keeper who can be more reliable than Onana.

According to the Daily Star, Onana was ‘unsettled’ at Old Trafford before Amorim arrived and the situation has only worsened in recent weeks.

Amorim and United have ‘begun the search’ for a new No 1, with Brighton’s Verbruggen firmly ‘on their radar’.

United hope to bring in a ‘top keeper’ who can help catapult them up the Premier League table and believe Netherlands international Verbruggen could be their man.

The 22-year-old may have only kept four clean sheets in 17 games for Brighton this season, but he is used to making plenty of saves each game due to the Seagulls’ attacking and expansive style of play.

Brighton paid Anderlecht €20m for Verbruggen in the same month that Onana joined United, and they will want to make a profit before letting him leave.

The report states that United will need to pay at least £30m (€36.2m / $37.7m) to strike an agreement with Brighton.

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Man Utd looking at Verbruggen, Lammens

While Verbruggen is the ‘favourite’ keeper option for United, he is not the only player on their list.

A separate report from The Telegraph states that United are also ‘monitoring’ Belgium U21 keeper Senne Lammens.

The 22-year-old has been scouted by United on several occasions this season while starring for Royal Antwerp.

The Red Devils will need to fend off clubs such as Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund if they are to win the race for Lammens.

READ MORE: Amorim intervenes as Man Utd launch spectacular double signing for January

Man Utd news: Ronaldo hints at future move; Rashford finished

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to rule out joining United’s rivals Manchester City in what would be a controversial move.

At the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, Ronaldo admitted that City are going through a difficult moment but tipped Pep Guardiola to find the solution.

When asked about joining City to help them out of their problems, the Portuguese icon said while smiling: “You never know what is going to happen.”

Ronaldo has left United twice in his career and Marcus Rashford may soon follow in his footsteps.

Trusted United reporter Andy Mitten has added to claims that Rashford is finished at Old Trafford by stating that ‘every previous manager’ has found it tough to deal with the forward’s behaviour.

Mitten added: “I’ve spoken to them. They’ve told me in confidence going back years and years and years.”

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