Who is Zion Suzuki? The 20-year-old goalkeeper tipped to be Man Utd's next signing | OneFootball

Manchester United could be closing in on the signing of a new goalkeeper, but Japanese shot-stopper Zion Suzuki probably isn't the name that many fans will have been expecting.

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The Old Trafford outfit's interest in Inter Milan's Andre Onana has been no secret for some time now. However, with financial constraints hampering Erik ten Hag's budget, negotiations over the £60 million-rated Cameroon star have proved challenging.

United reportedly only had a summer budget of £100m for new arrivals because of Financial Fair Play restrictions - with that figure already having been heavily reduced to the arrival of Mason Mount from Chelsea on Wednesday.

Simply put, the Red Devils are in the market for a bargain. Believed to be available for £5m, American-born Suzuki certainly falls into that category.

Per a report from Japanese outlet Sponichi Annex, via The Metro, United have been keeping tabs on 20-year-old Suzuki since 2017 and have now made a formal bid for the Urawa Red Diamonds' 'keeper.

While £5m is a modest amount by the standards of top-tier European football, it would actually become a record transfer fee for a J League club - beating the £4.5m that Celtic paid Vissel Kobe for Kyogo Furuhashi in 2021.

Although he's seemingly been on their radar for quite some time, United's interest - and apparent bid - for Suzuki has very much come out of nowhere.

Who is Zion Suzuki?

Born in Arkansas in 2002, Suzuki moved to Japan as a youngster.

He went on to represent his adopted home country at every youth level. However, per Transfermarkt, has yet to make his full international debut.

Suzuki turned professional with Urawa in 2018 at the age of 16, but has only featured in eight J League matches in the five years since, largely playing understudy to first-choice goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.

Given his relative lack of experience, Suzuki is likely to fulfil a similar role at Old Trafford, but that hasn't stopped videos of his highlights from doing the rounds on YouTube after United's interest in the player became public.

You can check out 'Zion Suzuki: Welcome to Manchester United?' below.

Highlights are always going to present their subject in the best possible light, but the fact that the United fans behind the video have been able to put together an eight-minute package for a player with such limited professional experience can only be a good sign.

Why Man Utd need to recruit goalkeepers this summer

In an ideal world, Ten Hag would be in a position to reinforce every area of his squad ahead of United's return to the Champions League.

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the club's finances mean that simply isn't going to happen. In order to raise their summer budget, the club needs to part company with some of their existing squad.

Although the Lancashire side are ready to sell as many as 13 players before the start of next season, attracting acceptable offers for a number of them is easier said than done.

Unless there's an unlikely exodus in the next few weeks, Ten Hag may have to work with what he already has in many positions.

That's not going to be an option where the club's goalkeepers are concerned, though, due to a massive lack of depth in between the sticks. United have no option but to get some new signings through the door.

The contract of long-term number one David de Gea expired on June 30, meaning he is now a free agent.

The club are reportedly keen to re-sign the Spaniard should they fail to replace him this summer - even cheekily requesting that he not sign with another club for the time being.

It was the latest chapter in a drawn-out saga involving the 32-year-old, which took a bizarre turn when United withdrew a £200k-p/w- contract extension offer to De Gea last month - after he'd already signed it!

While Onana undoubtedly remains the club's top target in terms of a first-choice goalkeeper, the need for a back-up such as Suzuki is also pretty pressing.

Jack Butland, who was on loan with United from Crystal Palace last season, snubbed a permanent contract offer at Old Trafford to join Rangers, while Tom Heaton has also departed the 'Theatre of Dreams' in favour of Premier League new-boys Luton Town.

In order to fund their moves for Onana (and Suzuki), United may even part with Dean Henderson - the only realistic replacement for De Gea currently under contract to the club.

After spending last season on loan at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in recruiting the 26-year-old on a permanent basis.

With a likely transfer fee of around £30m, it's easy to see why United would be tempted to part with the Englishman given that Ten Hag needs to sell before he can buy this summer.

The need for a talented youngster such as Suzuki, then, is clear. Even if the club is successful in its optimistic request to persuade De Gea to re-sign on drastically reduced terms, he's still at the wrong end of his career to be considered a long-term part of United's plans.

Club chiefs are continuing to work on deals for both Suzuki and Onana with the Manchester Evening News confirming United's intention to bring in both men this summer.

While Inter continue to push United to improve their offer for Onana, negotiations for Suzuki are said to be progressing smoothly.

The Red Devils begin their pre-season campaign with a clash against Leeds United in Oslo next Wednesday - and it's tough to say with certainty right now who will be Ten Hag's starting goalkeeper for that fixture.

However, with a busy warm-up schedule planned over the next month, including games against Lyon, Arsenal, Wrexham, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Athletic Bilbao, Suzuki could make his unofficial United bow sooner rather than later if he signs.