William Hill: Manchester United have an eye on Sommer for a goalkeeper, who has no doubt and could become a second Van der Sar.
Manchester United have reportedly identified a potential replacement for long-time goalkeeper David De Gea after the club's apparent interest in Sommer.
What's the latest news on Summer's move to Manchester United? The Red Devils have rekindled their interest in the Bayern Munich man, who was reportedly on Erik ten Hag's recruitment radar last summer, according to journalist Crook in his transfer report for Talksport.
According to the report, the former Borussia Mönchen goalkeeper, who recently moved to the Allianz Arena, will be a cheaper option than the likes of Onana and Jordan Pickford.
As the article points out, the aforementioned De Gea has verbally agreed to a contract extension with Old Trafford, although a formal deal has yet to materialise as there are rumours that the Spaniard will not be the first choice for next season even if he stays in Manchester.
Will Sommer be better than Pickford? There have been plenty of rumours lately that Jordan Pickford could go to the Theatre of Dreams, with the 29-year-old only recently signing a new contract with Everton and his transfer fee set to reach around £30million this summer.
While the former Sunderland ace has made more than 50 appearances for the Three Lions and remains the undisputed national team staple, his consistency at club level remains a concern, with commentator Chris Sutton saying the Englishman has simply "made too many mistakes".
Coach Ten Hag may be wise to consider someone like Sommer to offer at least a strong short-term solution, as the excellent goalkeeper has been hailed by former team-mate Scully as 'the best in the world'. Although such praise is a bit exaggerated, players like Sommer have indeed won a lot of recognition.
That high praise comes from the talented player's astonishing performances against his current employers at the start of the season, with the six-footed ace making 19 saves in a 1-1 draw in August, breaking the Bundesliga record.
After joining Bayern Munich after replacing injury-plagued Manuel Neuer, the experienced goalkeeper also impressed with his excellent midfield ability, as he was able to pass and organise well at the back, and in the top 4 per cent of players in the top flight, Pickford was only in the top 44 per cent in this regard.
In dozens of Bundesliga games in the 2022 23 season, the passing accuracy rate reached 83%, far better than the occasional inconsistent Toffee players, who averaged just 52% under the same metric. That impressive record suggests that the former Basel native, who was also described by former boss Ross as "one of the best goalkeepers in Europe", could be the perfect choice for Ten Hag in his search for a reliable No.1 goalkeeper this summer.
It should also be pointed out here that United seem to have an excellent tradition of bringing the heat of their veterans to the extreme, and United have tasted this in the past with Larsson and Van der Sar, especially with Van der Sar, who is also a goalkeeper.
Van der Sar came to Manchester United at an older age after other big clubs were disappointed, but he played a magical role, which also made people look forward to the tradition and experience of Manchester United's use of veterans. Sommer is not young, but as a goalkeeper, he can still continue to play at a high level for a few seasons, and in such a situation, I believe that if Sommer does come to Manchester United, his prospects are indeed worth looking forward to.