Manchester United complete fifth summer signing three hours after window closes
Man Utd completed their fifth summer signing on transfer deadline day.
Manchester United have completed the signing of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day of the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old has signed an initial five-year contract at Old Trafford after United agreed to pay a fixed fee of £18.1 million, plus a further £3.5m in potential add-ons. The deal does not include a sell-on clause for the Belgian club.
United did not intend to sign a goalkeeper before deadline day, but changed their plans after both Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir produced errors in the opening weeks of the season. Ruben Amorim prioritised an overhaul of his attacking options this summer, but requested a new shot-stopper amid doubts over the options currently at his disposal.
Lammens had been training alone ahead of a proposed exit in the summer transfer window and was also left out of the Royal Antwerp side for their previous two matches. It is understood the goalkeeper wanted to feature for his current club in those matches, but they didn’t want to risk jeopardising a lucrative sale in case he happened to get injured.
Speaking after the deal was confirmed three hours after the transfer window had officially closed, Lammens said: “I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United, it is a real dream come true. The past few years have been an amazing journey, it’s now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special.
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“You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years. I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff. This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives.”
United director of football Jason Wilcox said: “Senne is an excellent young goalkeeper with great potential; we are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United after significant interest from a number of clubs.”