Manchester United is reportedly expressing interest in acquiring Ivan Provedel from Lazio, as indicated by reports from Footballwave. The 29-year-old goalkeeper has established himself as one of Serie A’s top goalkeepers and has recently become a regular fixture in Italy’s national team. Notably, this season, Provedel has gained recognition as the most distinguished goalscoring goalkeeper globally.
Provedel left a significant mark during the Champions League group stage by scoring a crucial late goal, securing a 1-1 draw for Lazio against Atletico Madrid. His 96th-minute equalizer played a pivotal role in Lazio advancing to the last-16 stage. Remarkably, this marked only the third instance in Champions League history where a goalkeeper scored during open play.
This season’s display of Provedel’s scoring prowess isn’t isolated, as he previously demonstrated his goal-scoring abilities while on loan at Juve Stabia in 2020, netting a late equalizer against Ascoli. Intriguingly, Provedel began his career as a striker, accumulating 27 goals as a teenager for Pordenone’s youth team during the 2008/09 season before transitioning to the goalkeeper position professionally.
United’s reported interest in Provedel raises the prospect of replacing what many consider to be the world’s best passing goalkeeper with a candidate for the title of the best-scoring goalkeeper.
However, Lazio’s €35 million asking price for Provedel appears to be a stumbling block for United in the January transfer window. Despite this, the club is poised to monitor him for a potential summer transfer.
Conversely, Andre Onana’s tenure at Manchester United has not lived up to expectations following his €51 million (plus €4 million in bonuses) transfer from Inter Milan. Despite a standout Champions League season with Inter, where he led the clean sheet charts and earned praise as the best ball-playing goalkeeper, Onana has encountered difficulties at Old Trafford.
His notable errors, particularly in the Champions League defeats against Galatasaray and Bayern Munich, have been evident.
Manchester United currently finds itself trailing in the Premier League and has exited European competitions and the League Cup.
The pursuit of Provedel signifies the club’s quest for reinforcements in crucial positions, potentially reshaping the dynamics of their goalkeeping department. As they navigate these considerations, the summer transfer window emerges as a pivotal period for United to address their squad’s challenges and reclaim a competitive position on multiple fronts.
