Manchester United look set to overhaul their goalkeeping department this summer. David de Gea has departed the Old Trafford side following 12 years at the club, while Inter Milan sensation Andre Onana has now arrived.
The future of Dean Henderson appears to be away from United, with Nottingham Forest keen on signing him permanently and this could happen once Onana arrives. Erik ten Hag could therefore be lacking in options between the posts next season, and he could alleviate this problem by signing Yassine Bounou.
Will Manchester United sign Yassine Bounou?
According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Ten Hag is keen on luring Bounou, more commonly known as Bono, to the Red Devils ahead of next season.
The report claims that a move would be ‘difficult, but not impossible’ and if United were to lose Henderson to Forest, the Dutchman would have to double his efforts to bring another ‘keeper into the squad.
The £15k-per-week titan has two years left on his current deal and Sevilla won't want to lose him cheaply, indicating that United would have to stump up a decent fee in order to sign him during the transfer window.
How good is Yassine Bounou?
Since emerging through the academy, Henderson has made a grand total of 29 senior appearances for United, with the majority of them coming during the 2020/21 season, where he played 25 times.
Talented as he is, given the fact he has already earned a cap for England, making his debut against Ireland three years ago, Ten Hag could soon forget about him with a move for Bono in the coming weeks.
The Canadian-born Moroccan international has enjoyed his greatest success at Sevilla, winning two Europa League titles during his four seasons in Spain. He has also kept 58 clean sheets in 140 matches.
Although not among the very elite across the continent, Bounou could certainly fit Ten Hag’s tactical philosophy of playing out effectively from the back as he ranks in the top 17% across Europe’s big five leagues for touches per 90 (41.8), suggesting that he is comfortable on the ball and is trusted during games to begin attacks from the back.
The 32-year-old became a household name during the 2022 World Cup as Morocco became the first African team to reach the semifinals of the competition.
Across seven matches at the tournament, he kept three clean sheets and succeeded with 100% of his run-outs, keeping his best performance for the last 16 tie against Spain.
The 6 foot 2 colossus made two saves in the penalty shootout after the game finished 0-0 and became an instant hero, with compatriot Romain Saiss praising him following the match, saying:
"It is amazing for him. He had a heroic game today, not only during the penalties. He just wanted to show why he was named the best La Liga goalkeeper last season. He is a great keeper, he proved it against Spain. We owe him a lot today."
Shining on the world stage should allow him to settle in well at United, and given his impressive performances for both club and country, he could certainly allow Ten Hag to forget all about Henderson.