Manchester United have reportedly explored the opportunity of signing Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel this month.
After striking a deal with Cameroon that allowed Andre Onana to feature for the club even after the start of the Africa Cup of Nations, Erik ten Hag will now likely be without his first-choice goalkeeper for the next few weeks.
Following his £47m move from Inter Milan over the summer, Onana has been a major talking point given his indifferent start to life at the club.
Costly mistakes, most notably away to Galatasaray, were one of the reasons attributed by many pundits as to why United fell at the first hurdle in the Champions League earlier this season.
Ten Hag has remained supportive of his number one though, and going to the effort of keeping him up until the eve of Cameroon's first game at AFCON shows how highly-thought of he still is at Old Trafford.
However, Onana has now linked up with his international teammates, and should the Indomitable Lions reach the final, the keeper will miss five Man United games over the next few weeks.
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Keeping Onana for an extended period may also be down to the fact that Ten Hag does not rate current backup Altay Bayindir highly, given that the Turkish stopper is yet to feature in any competition for the club.
Bayindir will likely start between the sticks when United are next in action against Newport County in the FA Cup in just over a weeks' time, unless Cameroon are eliminated in the group stage at AFCON.
However, after purchasing Onana from Inter, Ten Hag could go shopping in Serie A for a goalkeeper again, with the Daily Mail reporting that they are interested in making a move for Lazio's Provedel.
The report states that the player is unhappy with his current contract at the club which runs until 2027, and wants improved terms, otherwise he may seek an exit.
Provedel has missed just one game across all competitions this season, and made headlines across the globe when he scored a dramatic last-minute equaliser in Lazio's draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League back in September.
The 29-year-old has proven himself to be a reliable pair of hands too, after being named goalkeeper of the season in Serie A last season, and becoming Italy's third-choice keeper.
Provedel is set to be in action when Lazio face Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final on Friday night in Saudi Arabia.
Andrew Delaney
