Manchester United are eyeing a blockbuster swap deal to secure one of Serie A’s best players and upgrade a position of serious weakness for Ruben Amorim in one deft transfer, according to a report.
A Safe Pair of Hands
Neither of the senior goalkeepers at Old Trafford – Andre Onana or Altay Bayindir – have impressed since Amorim arrived from Sporting CP in November.
Both players committed game-changing errors last season with their erratic displays creating a sense of panic throughout the rest of the team.
As a result, a new shot stopper was believed to be on the agenda this summer. But the club has focused the bulk of its budget on the misfiring forward line with over £200 million already spent to secure Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
A blockbuster raid on Brighton & Hove Albion has also been considered to sign Cameroon international Carlos Baleba – identified by Amorim as the perfect option to upgrade his midfield – but a move was deemed too expensive.
United remain in the hunt for a new midfielder, however, with a list of alternatives to Baleba already drawn up.
This leaves little room in the budget for a new goalkeeper. Unless Onana was to push for an exit, there is unlikely to be sufficient funds to secure a new number one with cheaper alternatives like Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens under consideration.
But United may have found the perfect compromise by using a player the club are happy to sell as a makeweight in a move for AC Milan and France’s undisputed number one goalkeeper, Mike Maignan.
Magic Mike
AC Milan have made advances to sign Rasmus Hojlund with United open to the Dane’s exit after the capture of Sesko from RB Leipzig. Both forwards are the same age with similar profiles – and there is only room for one at Old Trafford next season.
Hojlund has been adamant he wants to stay and fight for his place in Amorim’s squad but there is a sense the former Atalanta striker has opened the door to a return to Italy with the Rossoneri keen on agreeing a loan deal.
However, French football expert Sébastien Vidal reveals United are now “considering” using Hojlund in a “swap deal” for Maignan with the 30-year-old goalkeeper’s contract at the San Siro expiring next summer.
Manchester United are considering including Rasmus Højlund (£38m) in a swap deal with AC Milan for Mike Maignan 🇫🇷, eyed as André Onana’s replacement. The French goalkeeper is out of contract in 2026. #MUFC #ManUtd #ACMilan #Maignan #Hojlund #Transfers #EPL #SerieA
— Sébastien Vidal (@SebEcrivainFoot) August 15, 2025
Tweet: “Manchester United are considering including Rasmus Højlund (£38m) in a swap deal with AC Milan for Mike Maignan, eyed as André Onana’s replacement. The French goalkeeper is out of contract in 2026.”
Maignan had come close to agreeing a deal to join Chelsea earlier in the summer but the Blues deemed the transfer too expensive. If Milan do not agree a sale before September, they risk losing the Frenchman for free next year as he will be able to negotiate a free transfer from January.
If United were able to agree a lower price for Maignan by sending Hojlund in the opposite direction, it would prove a masterful piece of business to sign one of Europe’s best goalkeepers in a bargain deal while shifting an unwanted player in return.
Featured image Yu Chun Christopher Wong via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
