Paul Merson has theory that Man United will still sign Emi Martinez after Senne Lammens, ‘smokescreen’…

Manchester United have spent the entirety of deadline day so far trying to sign a new goalkeeper.

After Andre Onana’s disasterclass against Grimsby, which ultimately resulted in a shock Carabao Cup exit against the League Two outfit, a new shot-stopper has become the number one priority at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have spent big money on attacking acquisitions this summer, but with only one win to their name, the 3-2 win against Burnley on Saturday, Ruben Amorim is eager to make the most of the remaining time left in the transfer window.

As reported by Sky Sports, Manchester United have agreed an £18.2 million deal with Royal Antwerp for goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but Paul Merson believes he will not be the only new goalkeeper at Old Trafford once the window slams shut.

Manchester United could still sign Emiliano Martinez

When speaking live on Sky Sports, Merson proposed a theory wherein Man United held off on the sale of Onana to agree a reasonable fee for Lammens, and now that the deal is agreed, they could move for Martinez.

“Right, so Antwerp – they go, right, we’ll give you £18 million. They probably did. Wow, £18 million. Then all of a sudden they get Martínez, and they know Onana is on his way to Saudi Arabia or something.

“Otherwise, if he goes first, Antwerp then turn around and go, ‘wait there, we want more money – you just got that much money for Onana.’ And it’s sort of a smokescreen. That might be the case.”

Photo by How Foo Yeen/Getty Images

TBR Football exclusively revealed that Man United believe signing Martinez is “too complicated” and have since walked away from a deal with Aston Villa.

Furthermore, United are willing to sell Onana before the 7pm deadline, but as things stand, no interested parties have contacted the Red Devils to formalise interest in the 29-year-old.

Indeed, Martinez has been pushing for a transfer to United in recent weeks, and he was ultimately excluded from the matchday squad for Villa’s clash against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Manchester United need to sign two goalkeepers

Although Man United will play only one match per week this season, the main crux of Amorim’s problems has come between the sticks.

Alongside Onana, Altay Bayindir has been underwhelming since Amorim gave the Turkish international the number one spot at the beginning of the campaign.

Lammens, being 23, would benefit from working with the Premier League-proven Martinez and learning from the World Cup winner without the pressures of European football.

Man United have been without a top-quality goalkeeper since David de Gea, and they stand no chance of enjoying a successful season with the current crop fighting for a starting berth.

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