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No De Gea, no problem – Man United would find his ideal backup by signing this £20m-rated Croatian

Why Dominik Livakovic could be the ideal replacement for David de Gea

According to a report from The Sun, Manchester United are considering Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic as a potential replacement for David de Gea.

Dominik Livakovic, 24, was recently watched by a Manchester United scout in the Champions League play-off first leg between Dinamo Zagreb and Rosenborg last week. The Croatian stopper kept a clean sheet as Zagreb defeated Rosenborg 2-0.

The report claims if De Gea doesn’t commit his future at Old Trafford, United would go for Livakovic, who would cost around £15-£20 million.

De Gea, 28, joined United from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has gone on to be a fans favourite as the Spaniard, who is now in his 9th season in England, has amassed 101 Premier League clean sheets in 278 appearances for the club.

He has proven to be one of the best goalkeepers on the planet in the past few years; however, he has been off form following a poor World Cup campaign that saw several mistakes creep into his game last season.

The Spain international did start the new Premier League campaign with a clean sheet on the opening day victory over Chelsea.

Although he conceded a goal in United’s 1-1 draw with Wolves, it was a long-range beauty from Ruben Neves that simply gave him no chance to save. But De Gea had a shocker against Crystal Palace last weekend, as he committed a blunder right at the death to hand the Eagles a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

As things stand, the 28-year-old has entered the final year of his contract and despite having an offer of a new £350,000-a-week deal on the table, he has yet to commit his long-term future to the club.

Should he not sign a new deal, De Gea would be able to speak with foreign clubs in January and sign a pre-contract agreement, which could result in the Red Devils losing him on a free transfer in the summer of 2020.

Hence, United are right in eyeing up Dominik Livakovic as a player who could replace De Gea at Old Trafford. The 24-year-old is highly rated and has been excellent during his time with Zagreb, keeping a commendable 55 clean sheets in 107 games.

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In fact, his performances last season saw him named the best Croatian goalkeeper and his form between the sticks has also seen him claim the No 1 shirt for his nation from AS Monaco star Danijel Subasic.

Verdict

Livakovic could cost United as much as £20 million, a small price to pay for a highly-rated goalkeeper who could easily be a suitable replacement for De Gea in a few years’ time.