Man Utd can finally seal transfer nine years on after target 'cried' over failed move

Manchester United can finally sign a player this summer who cried because of a failed move to Old Trafford nine years ago.

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas was due to swap Madrid for Manchester as part of the infamous deal that would have taken David de Gea to the Bernabeu.

But the move fell apart at the eleventh hour due to an administrative error. Navas, then 28, was distraught after the paperwork couldn’t be completed in time before the La Liga deadline.

“This [deadline day] was one of the worst days of my life,” Navas explained told Cadena COPE. “I didn’t cry that day, but I did after all was said and done [and the window closed], when I was with my wife.

“I was waiting in the airport even without suitcases. I was not on the plane, but I was near. In the end, after everything that happened, many complicated moments, we’re human and eventually the time comes when you burst.”

The Costa Rican remained at the Bernabeu and replaced long-time No.1 Iker Casillas who moved to Porto. Navas, now 37, won the Champions League three times in back-to-back-to-back seasons as Los Blancos’ starting keeper.

In his five years in Madrid, he would also win La Liga once, the Spanish Super Cup once, the UEFA Super Cup twice and the FIFA Club World Cup four times. He then left to join Paris. Saint-Germain in 2019, where he has been ever since.

But the shot-stopper – who spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Nottingham Forest where he made 17 Premier League appearances – is now available on a free transfer.

And United could try to snap him up if Altay Bayindir makes a move, be that permanent or on loan. The 26-year-old Turkey international made just one single appearance in his debut season at Old Trafford and that came when Andre Onana was at the African Cup of Nations.

The Red Devils have dismissed claims from the player’s home country that the £4.3million Bayindir is bound for Celtic. But he may still wish to move elsewhere in search of more minutes, even if only on loan.

And United know they can recruit a highly-experienced No.2 to Onana in Navas without paying a fee if Bayindir does wish to move.

Navas would surely relish the opportunity to play for a club of United’s stature even only as a back-up. The keeper has been linked with moves to Mexico and the USA but a Premier League switch would be more lucrative and more prestigious.

Any move for Navas would surely be dependent on Bayindir first deciding what he wants to do this summer.

That means there are plenty of other clubs who could sadly steal in to snatch the veteran before United have a chance. But a free transfer could make plenty of sense if the Turk seeks a move.