Despite his eagerness to move to Old Trafford, Manchester United may need to fork over a significant transfer price to secure one of their top targets.

Odysseas Vlachodimos: Manchester United on the horizon?
Odysseas Vlachodimos, a custodian for Benfica, reportedly has a release clause in his current contract worth €60 million (£51 million) that was only recently increased, according to A Bola via The Mirror.

Because Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in Dean Henderson, the Greek international has surfaced as a “contingency plan” for Manchester United to possibly improve their goalkeeping department.

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United has already contacted Benfica about Vlachodimos to inquire about his availability due to the club’s continued need for a goalkeeper following the exits of Matej Kovar and Nathan Bishop to Bayer Leverkusen, respectively.

Fabrizio Romano, a transfer expert, provided an update on X regarding the potential scenarios of Vlachodimos going to the North West, as he stated:

“As was reported yesterday, Manchester United is aware of the terms of the Odysseas Vlachodimos contract. Since he is anticipated to depart the club before the conclusion of the window, he was not included in the Benfica squad last week. Deal with Manchester United would only proceed if Dean Henderson left the organisation.

It is unclear whether Vlachodimos or another custodian will be hired before the transfer window closes as The Manchester Evening News reports that veteran custodian Tom Heaton’s calf injury has made things much more difficult.

Who else could join? Would Vlachodimos be a good match for Manchester United?
Vlachodimos has a wealth of expertise that might be useful when he needs to fill in for Manchester United’s new starting goalkeeper Andre Onana. He would surely help to increase the number of goalkeepers at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old has made 227 appearances for Benfica while playing for the Primeira Liga champions, preserving a total of 94 clean sheets, according to Transfermarkt.

According to FBRef, Vlachodimos contributed significantly to Benfica’s championship victory last season by posting a save percentage of 75% for the entire season and a clean sheet rate of 58.8%.

Erik ten Hag may have made a good choice to bring in someone in the mould of Vlachodimos given that the current backup custodian Henderson appears likely to leave Old Trafford before the window closes.

According to ESPN sources, the Red Devils want to sign a midfielder and a custodian before the transfer window closes. However, they must first cut the roster in order to make room for new additions.

According to The Mirror, Ryan Gravenberch, a midfielder for Bayern Munich who is no longer a consideration at the German powerhouse, is the subject of a bidding war between Manchester United and Liverpool.

The out-of-favor Netherlands international will cost Bayern Munich somewhere about £22 million, but Liverpool may try to persuade Thomas Tuchel to accept a loan offer, so it might be a hectic end to the summer for the Red Devils.