Bristol City closing in on Man Utd transfer agreement | OneFootball

Bristol City are close to signing the 21-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek on a season-long loan as cover for the injured Max O'Leary.

Bristol City are set to sign the young Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek on a season-long loan, despite already having three shot-stoppers on their books.

Bristol City went into the summer with three goalkeepers on their books, but seem likely now to add to that number with the loan signing of the young stopper, who spent the 2024-25 season on loan with the Austrian club Blau-Weiß Linz.

This situation has come about because last season's first-choice goalkeeper Max O'Leary will be missing for three to four months following surgery on his ankle. This has forced a change of heart over their goalkeeping cover, with only Joe Lumley and Lewis Thomas available for the first few weeks of next season.

Without any further cover, City could find themselves in a spot of bother were anything to happen to those two, and the young United goalkeeper has been identified as a third goalkeeper to potentially mind the nets while O'Leary recovers from his operation.

Radek Vitek to sign for Bristol City from Man Utd

Bristol Live's Dan Carter has reported on X that Bristol City have identified Vitek as cover for their goalkeeping position and that, while no paperwork has yet been signed, the deal should go through in the next few days.

This wasn't particularly news to City supporters who travelled to Devon on Saturday afternoon for their fourth pre-season friendly against Plymouth Argyle, which Gerhard Struber's new-look side won 2-0.

Vitek was spotted at Home Park wearing a Bristol City tracksuit, all of which indicates that this arrival is pretty much a done deal.

Goalkeeping cover is necessary at Ashton Gate as a result of O'Leary recovery

Whether Radek Vitek is anything more than cover for Bristol City next season remains to be seen, but the first few weeks of their season will certainly look different defensively because Max O'Leary had spent the previous couple of seasons making the goalkeeping position at Ashton Gate his own.

O'Leary had played every minute of every game in goal for the Robins over the previous two seasons, so the news that his injury would have an extended recovery time was a blow to the club.

Vitek is highly thought of at Old Trafford, although he hasn't been able to get anywhere near the first team there since first signing for the club as a 16-year-old in 2020. He also has prior EFL experience, having spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at League Two club Accrington Stanley before returning to Old Trafford and being sent out to Austria on loan.

He kept four clean sheets in 18 matches for Accrington, but moving to Austria to play in the Bundesliga there was a big step up. Despite this, he kept six clean sheets as his team finished 6th in the Preliminary Round of the League, but then bottom of the top half group that played out the second half of the season.

Bringing him in will add a little depth to the Bristol City squad while their first choice remains on the sidelines, and Vitek could boost his profile should he get the opportunity to play in the first-team in the Championship next season.