Manchester United are working on a move to sign Urawa Red Diamonds goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, according to Fabrizio Romano.
What’s the latest Man United transfer news?
Off the pitch, a potential Old Trafford takeover involving the Glazers is still up in the air, however, that hasn’t stopped Erik ten Hag adding to his squad ahead of his second season in charge.
Mason Mount has signed from Chelsea in a deal worth £60m, taking the famous number seven shirt, and it looks as if Inter Milan’s Andre Onana could be the next to arrive after David de Gea officially left the club.
It seems as if a deal is close for the Cameroon international, however, another new ‘keeper could be required, especially if Dean Henderson re-joins Nottingham Forest on a permanent transfer.
Ten Hag could then be left with Tom Heaton as his only alternative option to Onana, and it appears as if Suzuki is another target at Old Trafford.
Transfer expert Romano took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share more Man United transfer news he’s heard, this time on Suzuki. He said the club are “working” on a move for the youngster, who is one of three options as a backup goalkeeper.
“Manchester United are working on Zion Suzuki deal. Japanese goalkeeper is one of 3 options as backup GK and talks are now taking place on player side.
“No talks yet with Urawa Reds as Man United are busy with André Onana deal being completed.”
This isn’t the first time Suzuki has been linked with a move to Manchester. Recent reports have claimed that the Red Devils have been scouting the goalkeeper since 2017 and believed a shock move to England was close to completion after a formal £5m offer was made. Should a £5m transfer go through, it would represent a record J League departure, surpassing the £4.5m Celtic spent on forward Kyogo Furuhashi.
Who is Zion Suzuki?
Suzuki is 20 years of age and was actually born in the United States of America, however, he has been in Japan with Urawa Red Diamonds for a number of years.
The shot-stopper has even represented Japan at international level, making his one and only senior appearance for the country last year. At club level, Suzuki has made 29 appearances for Urawa Red Diamonds, keeping 12 clean sheets, and he appears to be a potential star in the making.
In the media, Suzuki is ‘widely considered as one of the most exciting goalkeeping prospects coming out of Japan’. His ‘distribution is exceptional, he makes passes which would be talked about for weeks if it were Ederson’. Therefore, he could be an ideal long-term addition at Old Trafford alongside someone like Onana.
It appears as if a move is in fact one to watch over the coming weeks, but you’d expect the club will be focusing on finalising a move for Onana first, with Suzuki possibly coming in and playing second choice in domestic cup competitions during his first year, especially as the club are preparing for life back in the Champions League.
