Manchester United are close to completing the signing of goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free transfer.
There are further subtleties, but United are at an advanced stage of bringing Darlow to the club. Senna Lammens needs support for the upcoming season and Altay Bayindir is expected to leave the team.
Athletic Last month it was reported that United were mulling a move for Darlow, 35, who will become a free agent this summer after his contract at Leeds United expires. He joins a small list of players who have swapped Elland Road for Old Trafford, including Rio Ferdinand, Gordon McQueen and Alan Smith.
Everton were also considering a move for Darlow, a 15-time Wales international. United’s other option was Sam Johnston, who has two years remaining on his contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Johnston, 33, began his career at United’s academy.
United wanted an experienced goalkeeper, ideally with Premier League experience and qualifying as a homegrown, to help bring in Lammens and, if necessary, rotate with the club in the Champions League next season.
Darlow displaced summer Lucas Perry as Leeds’ first-choice goalkeeper for the 2025/26 season, starting every game from mid-January until the end of the season.
Leeds suffered just four defeats during that 17-match run, with Daniel Farke’s side maintaining their Premier League status by finishing in 14th place.
Having made a goalkeeping change in January, Farke said he felt the need to take Perry “out of the spotlight” after he “may not have performed what we expected from a performance point of view”.
He added that Darlow is “a very reliable and solid goalkeeper who was fantastic for us last season”, starting seven of Leeds’ matches as they won the title in 2024-25.
Darlow has made 38 appearances for Leeds since joining the club from Newcastle United in 2023 on a three-year deal. He made 111 appearances for Nottingham Forest early in his career and spent nine years at Newcastle, where he appeared 100 times, before moving to Leeds.
United opted for Lammens as their first-choice goalkeeper following a move from Royal Antwerp in September 2025 in a deal worth €21m (£18.2m) plus €4m in add-ons.
Andre Onana spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Trabzonspor, while Baindir has not started in place of Lammens since the Belgian was appointed to the team. Onana agreed to another loan at Trabzonspor.
Radek Vitek, named Bristol City’s Player of the Year after a stellar loan spell, is the subject of interest from several clubs. He is expected to leave United on loan or permanently to get regular minutes.
Tom Heaton, 40, signed a new one-year contract with United and will provide significant support in training, while Dermot Mee, 23, signed a new two-year contract last week and is a valuable member of the goalkeeping department.