How Man United Signed Senne Lammens Despite Aston Villa Offering More Money

Manchester United signed Senne Lammens on transfer deadline day despite being outbid by Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

United were desperate to land a new stopper over the summer, after losing faith in Andre Onana, who moved to Old Trafford from Inter Milan in 2023.

They eventually got a deal done on deadline day when 23-year-old Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp for a transfer fee of £18.2 million plus £3.5m in add-ons.

That deal took United’s overall summer spend to £232.4m, while the overall transfer spend by all Premier League clubs combined hit £3.2 BILLION.

Aston Villa also bid for Senne Lammens

Man United were not the only Premier League team keen on Lammens. Indeed, it has now emerged that Aston Villa actually offered Antwerp more than United.

However, Lammens had his heart set on a move to Old Trafford, despite United finishing nine places and 24 points below Villa in last season’s Premier League.

In his first interview as a United player, Lammens told his new club’s media team: “This is my dream move.”

He added: “When I was five, United was at the height of football and you keep in your memory how big Manchester United is, so, when I heard they were interested, it was like a childhood dream.

“I remember being a kid, Manchester United winning the Champions League and winning the league, and also [I want] to help the team get to a level that you can compete for a title again and to play Champions League again. That’s also one of my biggest points, that I want to grow with the team and go up to the heights that used to be Manchester United.

“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the Premier League is the biggest competition in the world.

“In my team in Antwerp, there were some players who were also in England and, when I talked to them about Manchester United, you could directly see their face change. The club alone, the aura of the club, it’s massive, and being here today, seeing it, it’s a different level.

“It’s crazy. So, that was also a big part of why I chose Manchester United. I’m very happy that we could get it done today.”

While Lammens clearly had his heart set on a move to Old Trafford, the same cannot be said of Angelo Stiller. Stuttgart midfielder Stiller reportedly rebuffed an approach from United late in the window.

Will Senne Lammens be Man United’s No 1 goalkeeper?

Lammens was not United’s first-choice goalkeeping transfer target over the summer. It is understood that Ruben Amorim would have preferred Gianluigi Donnarumma, who eventually moved to Manchester City instead.

United were also widely credited with interest in Emiliano Martinez but he stayed at Villa, perhaps reluctantly. It is understood that Martinez would likely have ended up at Old Trafford had Villa signed Lammens.

But although he may not have been at the very top of Amorim’s wish-list, Lammens will almost certainly start for United.

That is largely down to the lack of faith in United’s other goalkeeping options. The season is less than a month old but Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir have already cost the team with high-profile errors.

Arsenal’s winning goal at Old Trafford on the opening weekend was the result of Bayindir flapping at a corner kick, before Onana made a similar error as United got knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town.