Manchester United are actively looking for a new solution in goal, as André Onana and Altay Bayındır have so far failed to meet expectations. In recent days, the main candidate increasingly mentioned is 23-year-old Senne Lammens, the first-choice goalkeeper of Royal Antwerp. According to Goal, this transfer would be the biggest surprise of the transfer window.
Lammens has played as many as 93 matches for Antwerp over the past two seasons—41 last season and 52 the season before—gaining a wealth of experience despite his young age. English media report that the Belgian shot-stopper has already agreed personal terms with United, and the transfer fee could be around €23 million.
The statistics are in the Belgian’s favor. Last season, he was the best goalkeeper in the world in the category of saved expected goals (xGOT), with an impressive 16.47. He made 127 saves with a success rate of 81.4 percent, which is better than any goalkeeper in the Premier League. For comparison, Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez was the best in England with 76.4 percent. In addition to outstanding saves, Lammens also stands out with his ball-playing ability—ranking near the top in successful passes and short distributions—and last season he even saved four penalties. Such performances also earned him his first call-up to Belgium’s senior national team in March this year.
Clubs from England, Italy, and France have also shown interest in Lammens, but United could move the quickest and finalize the deal. A move to Old Trafford, Belgian sources claim, would be the fulfillment of a dream for the young goalkeeper.