Manchester United make contact with Giorgi Mamardashvili as Erik Ten Hag plots move for giant
New Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has a new goalkeeper in his sights after the club reportedly made enquiries about Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Dutch coach, who decided to end his Ajax contract early and make inroads into the job at Old Trafford, has met with John Murtough and Richard Arnold on a number of occasions.
Ten Hag flew into London last week for meetings and took in the final-day defeat at Crystal Palace. He is well aware of where he needs to strengthen his squad and a new goalkeeper is on his list.
Veteran stopper Lee Grant will leave the club this summer alongside Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic.
That leaves senior keepers David de Gea, Dean Henderson and 36-year-old Tom Heaton left at Old Trafford.
It’s understood that Henderson is looking to move on, while De Gea has hinted he will be staying.
“I just want to be positive, to forget about this season. The new manager [Erik ten Hag] was in the stands, so that’s a good signal. I hope things will get better for next season – that’s the past already. We all know it’s been a bad season, for everyone.
“The people who don’t want to stay, just go, and the people who really want to stay at the club, who want to fight for the club, let’s have a good rest in the summer, prepare ourselves in the mind and in the body and be ready to fight again next season,” said the Spaniard this week.
But Ten Hag wants another keeper to push De Gea and Diario AS report that Mamardashvili is the man.
Mamardashvili comes with €15m price tag
At 6ft 5in tall, Mamardashvili is a man in demand. Per the report “many teams” are chasing the player, but “Manchester United has called Mamardashvili to find out about his economic conditions”.
Mamardashvili, 21, is a Georgia international and played 18 times in LaLiga last season. He shared the goalkeeping role with Jasper Cillessen, but the former’s stats are more impressive.
Mamardashvili kept eight clean sheets and conceded 20 goals in 18 games for the ninth-placed Los Che.
The former Dinamo Tbilisi star is under contract until 2024 and is said to be happy in Spain.
But a contract renewal is in doubt with interest from England. However, there has been no concrete offer yet from United.
The report claims an offer of around €15m could be enough to see Mamardashvili leave the club.
