Manchester United are said to have reached a complete agreement for the transfer of goalkeeper Senne Lammens, as their trouble in the crucial position continues.
The Belgian shot-stopper, who currently plays for Royal Antwerp FC, emerged as a target a few weeks ago after yet more errors in between the sticks for Man United.
In addition to André Onana having developed a reputation for making mistakes in net for the Red Devils, rotation keeper, Altay Bayındır, has also recorded errors of his own, including gifting Burnley their equaliser this past weekend (Saturday, 30 September).
Although the club are said to have been working on a deal for some time, it now looks as though the pair could soon play second fiddle to a new number one in Lammens, who is set to sign a five-year deal with United imminently.
Still just 23, not only does he fit the younger age profile of the players that both Ruben Amorim and Man United’s recruitment department are looking to bed in, but he’s already thrown up some impressive stats in his career thus far.
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The former Club Brugge youth only made his Royal Antwerp debut back in November 2023, but went on to win the Belgian Super Cup as part of the side and has now made a total of 64 appearances.
United were also being linked with a more experienced and Premier League-proven alternative in Emi Martinez; however, the move was reportedly abandoned after Aston Villa were unwilling to sign their inbound new MUFC loanee, Jadon Sancho, on a permanent and potential swap deal.
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Many are arguing it could also be some fancy footwork and transfer posturing from INEOS.
For anyone wondering why they went after him, some will say the numbers speak for themselves.
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Others will point out that there is a gulf in quality between the Belgian first division and the Premier League.
Man United are said to be paying Antwerp a fee of roughly £18.2 million plus add-ons for Lammens’ services, with summer signing number five having already been pictured boarding a private jet in Belgium ahead of his flight to Manchester.
It is thought that Amorim could hold on to both Onana and Altay as part of his wider squad, with some room for rotation still alive as his team are still in the FA Cup, especially given that it remains to be seen how Lammens will take to life in English football.
Some fans have even been calling for back-up Tom Heaton to be brought into the starting lineup for now after looking like a safe pair of hands on this year’s pre-season tour. Regardless, Lammens’ arrival will surely see at least one set of gloves leaving Old Trafford if not in this window, then come January.
Reds will be both glad and somewhat concerned to hear that academy product Kobbie Mainoo asked to leave on loan before deadline day after questions over his playing time.
Featured Images — Royal Antwerp (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
The road to the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford has been confirmed
Daisy Jackson
The road to one of the biggest nights in rugby league has officially been mapped out, with the 2026 Betfred Super League Grand Final set to return to Manchester’s Old Trafford this October.
Following the final round of regular-season action, the four play-off ties have now been confirmed as the battle for a place at the home of Manchester United enters its final stages.
And there’s plenty for Greater Manchester sports fans to get excited about.
Wigan Warriors have secured the League Leaders’ Shield after an emphatic 50-12 victory over Catalans Dragons, with Matt Peet’s side running in nine tries to finish top of the table.
The result keeps Wigan’s hopes of an incredible treble alive, having already lifted the Betfred Challenge Cup back in May.
They’ll now have a week off while the opening play-off ties take place, as will second-placed Leeds Rhinos.
The first eliminator sees Wakefield Trinity welcome Leigh Leopards on Friday 18 September, with kick-off at 8pm.
Then, on Saturday 19 September, Warrington Wolves take on Hull KR at 5.30pm.
The winners of those games will progress to the semi-finals, while the losing sides will face the two highest-ranked teams in the competition.
The road to the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford has been confirmed. Credit: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
Leeds will host the highest-ranked eliminator loser on Friday 25 September at 8pm.
Then, 24 hours later, Wigan will welcome the lowest-ranked loser to the Brick Community Stadium for their semi-final, with that one kicking off at 5.30pm on Saturday 26 September.
For Wigan, it represents a huge opportunity to take another step towards an historic treble – and ultimately a return to Old Trafford.
The Grand Final itself takes place on Saturday 3 October, with the action getting underway at 6pm.
As ever, the biggest prize in Super League will be decided under the lights at Old Trafford, with the two remaining sides battling it out in front of what is expected to be another huge crowd in Manchester.
Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Danny Jones -
1st September 2025 
