The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper was a boyhood fan of Manchester United.
Jan Oblak could be coming to the Premier League this summer, and he is said to favour a move to Old Trafford.
On Monday morning, one tabloid in England ran with a story claiming Manchester United were seeking to pay current No.1 David De Gea £20m to leave the club. Paris Saint Germain were said to be the Spaniard’s destination and United were attempting to grease the wheels rather than up his weekly wages from £200,000 to £300,000.
Still, it seemed ludicrous to suggest that United would be so hell-bent on moving on one of their three world-class players, and pay him to exit.
That is until you consider the ESPN report that says United are favourites to sign Jan Oblak. The 26-year-old Slovenian has been the best goalkeeper in La Liga since joining Atletico from Benfica in 2014.
The departures of Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin, Filipe Luis and Juanfran have apparently tipped the scales, though, and Oblak wants out. PSG are said to be sniffing but the report states Oblak ‘favours a move to Old Trafford over Paris Saint-Germain’.
Oblak would cost €120m (the buy-out clause on his contract, up to 2023) but United would be hoping to eclipse that with a fee for De Gea, one of the club’s last remaining league winners.
Oblak’s annual wage is said to be £1.3m so United could double that and still save on what they would have to offer De Gea (contracted up to June 2020) in a new deal.
Meanwhile, United are said to be considering their next move over Crystal Palace fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka after their initial £40m offer was rejected and, according to the BBC, they are still in the mix for Harry Maguire.
The well-sourced Simon Stone says United remain keen on the idea of getting Maguire in the door over the summer.
Last year, after England reached the World Cup semi-final, Leicester City were apparently seeking £70m for the centre-back. That put United off but such was the club’s defensive frailties, last season, that the need to revamp their defence has ramped up.
Maguire did sign a new five-year contract with Leicester, last summer, so United may now have to go beyond £70m to secure the former Hull defender.
