Manchester United are now “very optimistic” they’ll wrap up a deal for an “elite” Manchester City target within the next two days, a journalist has revealed.

Amorim has work to do before transfer deadline

There was a sense of cautious optimism after Man United’s opening game, despite losing 1-0 at home to Arsenal, but the 1-1 draw against Fulham at the weekend was a reality check, with Gary Neville stating he believes there is work to do before the deadline.

“I said this last week and it’s a little bit worrying: Fulham got a lot stronger when they made their substitutions, I actually thought United got worse when they made theirs,”

“Sesko, at the moment, let’s just say it, he’s nowhere near in terms of fitness or just getting up to speed. I love Mbeumo, I love Cunha, Bruno had a bad game today, but my biggest worry is the goalkeeper situation isn’t addressed and the striker situation isn’t addressed.”

Goalkeeper has been a problem position for quite some time, with Ruben Amorim alternating between Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana at times last season, and the former received widespread criticism for failing to deal with Declan Rice’s corner, which led to Arsenal’s goal.

Amorim defended the Turkish shot-stopper in the wake of the performance against the Gunners, but former scout Mick Brown believes the manager is “raging” because he “can’t rely on his current options” in goal.

As such, Man United have recently stepped up their pursuit of a new goalkeeper, with Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens, who is thought to be valued at £22m by the Belgian Club, emerging as a major target.

There has now been a promising update on United’s pursuit of Lammens, with journalist Christopher Michel revealing they are now “very optimistic” about finalising a deal “in the next two days”.

The Royal Antwerp goalkeeper has also been targeted by Man City, but it appears as though the Red Devils are set to win the race, with Pep Guardiola’s side focusing on Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“Elite” Lammens could be solution to Man Utd’s problems

It would be a risk to bring the Belgian shot-stopper in as the new number one straight from the off, given that he is just 23-years-old and unproven in a major league, but there are indications he could be an upgrade on Onana and Bayindir.

Amorim simply cannot persist with Bayindir, who has already made one high-profile error this season, while Nemanja Matic infamously dubbed Onana “one of the worst goalkeepers” in Manchester United’s history last season.

Lammens, on the other hand, is very highly regarded by scout Ben Mattinson, who lauded him for his “elite shot-stopping”, while also praising the 6-foot-4 colossus for his “composure” in possession.

The Antwerp star is still relatively inexperienced, having made 64 appearances for his current Club at senior level, but with Donnarumma seemingly heading to Man City, there aren’t a great deal of options for Man United, who desperately need a new goalkeeper before the deadline.