Manchester United are set to beat West Ham, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Southend United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop.
According to the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel, Man United are on the verge of pipping their Premier League rivals to the 20-year-old stopper’s signature.
The report claims Bishop is expected to join the Red Devils’ first-team during their winter break training camp.
He came through the youth ranks at Southend, making 37 senior appearances since his debut in December 2017.
Bishop has also represented England at Under-20 level and is likely to initially join Man United’s developmental set-up.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
It won’t come across as a huge loss for West Ham, in my opinion, but the club’s current goalkeeper options are admittedly experienced, but ageing.
Lukasz Fabianski and David Martin are both 34 whilst Darren Randolph is 32, so it would’ve been refreshing to see the Hammers recruit a younger face.
21-year-old Nathan Trott has made 23 League One appearances on loan at AFC Wimbledon this season though, so he’s becoming a younger option getting to grips with senior football.
In general, West Ham clearly have an ageing squad with Declan Rice and Albian Ajeti the only players under the age of 23.
If David Moyes has a long-term vision at the club, I would expect that to change in the future but although it’s not a disaster missing out, Bishop would have been a welcome addition.
