Chelsea and Manchester United played out a thrilling, for wrong reasons, game at Old Trafford at the weekend. Both clubs saw players sent off and it is safe to say that neither is in Premier League title contention at the moment. They seem to have issues in similar areas of the pitch as well, and as a result, could look to sign the same players in upcoming transfer windows.
Both clubs have struggled to find stability in goal in recent times. For Chelsea, it has been many years, since Thibaut Courtois left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. Since then, we have seen plenty of names try to become the Blues' number one. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edouard Mendy, Robert Sanchez, and more. But nobody has really succeed to hold down the spot for any consistent length of time.
As for Manchester United, they have had a problem in goal going back to the last few years of David de Gea as their number one. It was clear that the Spaniard was past his peak. But he was better than what we have seen since then.
Chelsea tried to sign Mike Maignan last summer and are believed to be the favourites to get a deal over the line, with his contract at AC Milan running out next summer. But Manchester United do not seem to be giving up on their chances of landing the signature of the French international.
Manchester United eyeing world-class player who wants to join Chelsea
As reported by United in Focus, Graeme Bailey said regarding the situation involving Maignan, Manchester United and Chelsea:
"In terms of who they are looking at, I can confirm as a club they do like Mike Maignan – but he is someway down the road with Chelsea. They tried to sign him in the summer, but Max Allegri did not want to lose him; now his talks over a new deal are not going well.
“I am told that as it stands, he wants to join Chelsea and is likely to be how that one maps out, but United are giving themselves the chance to assess the situation."
Not too long ago, Maignan was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world. His form has been on the downward trajectory in recent years though.
Is it a sign that he is past his prime? Or is it a result of his contract situation at AC Milan? That is hard to figure out. But it does seem like Chelsea are convinced that he is the solution to their problems between the posts.
At the very least, he is expected to be a reliable option between the posts. Robert Sanchez is a great goalkeeper on his day, but he makes far too many errors to be a starter for a top club like Chelsea.