Man Utd target snapped at the airport ready to ‘leave for England for his transfer’

Manchester United appear to be on the brink of securing their fifth signing of the summer window as photos have emerged of the transfer target in question getting ready to fly to England.

Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has been connected to an Old Trafford move and was spotted at Atatürk Airport on Friday morning, reportedly ready to fly to England to get his move finalised. That’s according to Turkish reporter Sercan Hamzaoğlu, who uploaded a photo to Twitter of Bayindir at the aiport along with a caption providing an update on the pending transfer to the Premier League.

“Altay Bayindir will be leaving for England shortly from Atatürk Airport General Aviation Terminal for his transfer to Manchester United. Altay Bayindir was sold just above the output, in the €6-6.5 million band. Fenerbahçe will also have a share in the next sale.”

If all goes ahead, Bayindir will cost United between £5.1m and £5.5m and he will slot into the squad as André Onana’s deputy, as Dean Henderson remains heavily linked to an exit before the window slams shut in a weeks’ time. Nottingham Forest are eager to see the England international return to the City Ground this season but they face stiff competition from Sheffield United and Crystal Palace.

If, or more likely when, Henderson departs, United will have just the injured, 37-year-old Tom Heaton to serve as back-up to Onana, so securing a deal for Bayindir will be a very welcome piece of business for Erik ten Hag and his team.

A companion article alonside Hamzaoğlu’s tweet also reported that a farewell announcement for Bayindir was made prior to Fenerbahçe’s 5-1 win over Twente in the Europa Conference League play-off on Thursday. The 25-year-old leaves the club after four years, during which he made 145 senior appearances and helped the team win the Turkish Cup last season.