Sunderland to finalise permanent transfer swoop for Man United player | OneFootball

Sunderland are set to sign keeper Nathan Bishop from Manchester United when he returns from their pre-season tour in America at the start of August.

Who is Nathan Bishop?

The 23-year-old came through the ranks at Southend, and he actually made over 30 appearances for the club when they were in League One before he secured a move to Old Trafford in January 2020.

Since then, Bishop had a loan spell with Mansfield for the 2021/22 campaign, with his game time for the Red Devils coming for the development sides since.

Obviously, it was going to be very hard for Bishop to get near the first team under Erik ten Hag, and Sun journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that he is now set to move to Sunderland.

Sunderland to sign Nathan Bishop

The update states that the Black Cats are going to sign the stopper to provide cover for number one Anthony Patterson, with a ‘low’ fee expected to be agreed between the two clubs. However, it’s stated that there will be add-ons as part of the transfer should certain clauses be triggered in the future.

It’s no surprise that Bishop is available for a cut-price, as he has entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, and he is clearly way down the pecking order.

Even though everything seems advanced, Nixon states that it won’t go through until Bishop has returned to the UK from United’s pre-season tour to America. With David De Gea having left, and Andre Onana only just signed, Bishop was forced to go on the trip to make up the numbers.

The Premier League side play their final game in the States on July 31 when they face Borussia Dortmund.

Do Sunderland need Nathan Bishop?

As mentioned, Patterson is going to be the number one for Tony Mowbray next season, so it’s not like Bishop is coming in as his replacement.

There had been talk that Patterson could move on, but he still has three years left on his contract, and it now seems highly likely that he will continue at the Stadium of Light.

But, behind Patterson, there is uncertainty with the goalkeeping department. Alex Bass was the backup last season, but he is expected to leave on loan this summer, and it would seem that Bishop will be brought in to replace him and to challenge Patterson.

As a backup, Bishop seems a sensible bit of business considering he has Football League pedigree, he is still young and could improve, and he is not going to command a big fee.

Sunderland summer transfer plans

It’s been a busy summer for Sunderland so far, but there’s still a lot more work for Mowbray and the recruitment team to do ahead of the deadline.

This isn’t the sort of signing that’s going to really excite the fans, but Bishop fits the profile that Sunderland want, and he has the potential to develop and improve, and to challenge Patterson. So, it seems a low-risk deal for the club.