Manchester United have announced the signing of Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
The Red Devils have agreed a deal worth £21.7m with the Belgian side and there will be no sell on clause.
Lammens, 23, has agreed a five year contract at Old Trafford and comes in to solve Ruben Amorim’s problem between the sticks.
A club statement read: ‘Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Senne Lammens has joined the club, subject to international clearance and registration.
‘The goalkeeper has signed a contract until June 2030. Lammens has already played 64 games for Royal Antwerp and helped them win the Belgian Super Cup in 2023. The 23-year-old was named in the Belgium national team squad for the first time in March.’
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.
‘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.’
Emiliano Martinez was also considered but United prioritised Lammens due to his younger profile and the bright future they feel he has ahead of him.
Jadon Sancho’s reluctance to make a permanent move to Villa also played a role in this decision.
A new keeper was not a major concern for United until a recent flurry of mistakes from Andre Onana, who has lost his role as No 1 after missing pre-season through injury, and Altay Bayindir forced a rethink.
The groundwork for a move for Lammens has been laid for some time and the final touches were sealed on Monday as he boarded a private plane from Antwerp to Manchester.
He becomes the most expensive goalkeeper sale in the history of the Belgian Pro League.
Jason Wilcox, Director of Football, 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.’
It means United could carry four senior keepers in their squad for the rest of the season, with veteran Tom Heaton completing the quartet.
A later departure cannot be ruled out after Onana was linked with Monaco, West Ham and FC Neom this summer, and Bayindir with a return to Turkey.
The deadline in Saudi Arabia is September 10 and two days later in Turkey.
However, United sources say there is nothing in the pipeline as it stands.
There would still be an opportunity to make a change in the January window, but that seems unlikely because Onana is set to be away with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations which runs until January 18.
Bayindir has played in all three Premier League games after Onana missed pre-season with a hamstring injury, and the former Ajax and Inter Milan keeper returned for the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.
It’s understood that Onana has been expecting to stay, and that is more likely now United have opted for Lammens over Martinez.
