The £30m dream Man United signing who could be perfect final piece of summer window puzzle

Whisper it, but for all the ridicule Manchester United are on the verge of completing a potentially transformational transfer window with the arrival of Benjamin Sesko and likely addition of Carlos Baleba leaving just one major hole remaining ahead of the start of the Premier League season - goalkeeper.

Fear not rival fans, you can still rely on the post-Fergie Red Devils’ transcendent ability to ruin both established and promising careers with unparalleled consistency to provide a constant stream of successful hate-watches in the coming year but on paper, before a ball has been kicked, things are looking up.

Manchester United have been here before of course. Just 48 months ago they were entering 2021/22 as one of the favourites for the Premier League following the summer arrivals of Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane improving a team that had just finished second in the division and reached the Europa League final.

The wheels came off in spectacular fashion - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked for the crime of sitting eighth in the league, the team scraped through a very weak Champions League group only to be dumped out by Atletico Madrid and Ralf Rangnick’s tenure in charge was arguably even more botched by the board that Erik ten Hag or Amorim’s.

However, it’s hard to seriously deny the improvement in personnel at Old Trafford (on the pitch at least, given the decimation of particularly low-paid staff that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has overseen) and whatever the price in dinner ladies, many fans will feel it’s all been worth it if United can finish the job.

Finishing the job means finding a goalkeeper to replace Onana, and reporters including Bundesliga expert and former striker Jan Aage Fjortoft believe Manchester United could be set to do that in emphatic style by pounce for Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Is Gianluigi Donnarumma the answer in goal at Old Trafford?

Donnarumma isn’t quite the error-free machine that particularly English fans think of after his heroics in Italy’s Euros triumph, with mistakes a regular fixture in the Italian’s game - none more infamous than when he was dispossessed by Karim Benzema in a moment that sparked Real Madrid’s comeback to knock PSG out of the 2021/22 Champions League.

It was the moment that turned sections of the PSG fan base and French media against Donnarumma, and they’ve become accustomed to watching similar slips from the Italian who often doesn’t confident enough from set pieces and crosses. However, he’s not on an elite list of players to have been crowned European champion for club and country for nothing. Donnarumma’s positioning is superb and combined with his 6’5” frame can make him almost impossible to beat.

The Italian often stands deeper in the penalty area compared to other goalkeepers giving himself a few more milliseconds to react and knowing he can still cover the goal with his massive wingspan. While he sometimes has fans wringing their hands, he can also leave spectators open-mouthed with his reflex saves as a goalkeeper who often looks better when relying on his instincts.

Donnarumma boasted the sixth-best pass accuracy across Europe’s top five leagues last season according to Statmuse, completing over 15% more of his passes than Onana, which would help fix Manchester United’s 2024/25 struggles with playing out from the back.

Finally, Donnarumma is the stereotypical ‘big game player’. Part of the reason Premier League fans think of him as having an aura of invincibility is that aside from the Benzema incident, most of Donnarumma’s gaffes have been outside of the Champions League and major international tournaments. But is he a realistic target for Manchester United?

Gianluigi Donnarumma available at the perfect time for Man United

PSG have signalled their desire to move on by signing Lucas Chevalier from Lille for a potential €55m (£47.7m) fee that would make him the third most expensive goalkeeper ever, ironically displacing Onana from the podium. With a year left on his contract, the writing is on the wall for Donnarumma who is said to have been wanting a new challenge anyway, namely the Premier League.

Manchester United’s first big of €35m (£30.5m) is thought to be close to PSG’s desired figure for Donnarumma, who turned 26 in February, though the Red Devils will have to keep selling players in order to free up the cash with Onana still short on suitors. The apparently imminent departure of Alejandro Garnacho will free up a healthy chunk of change too, and they’ve been boosted by the income in sell-on clauses of several key ex-players this summer including Anthony Elanga and Alvaro Carreras.

While Amorim still lacks depth in his squad, the new-look attack of Matheus Cunha, Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo looks seriously impressive especially after the early setbacks of missing out on Liam Delap and Viktor Gyokeres while Baleba could have a Moises Caicedo effect at Old Trafford.

Signing one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Donnarumma would finish setting Manchester United up to compete for the Champions League places again next season and with PSG ready to sell, this is a player Amorim can’t afford to miss out on.