Aheed Abrar
Brentford eye Freiburg shot-stopper Mark Flekken as replacement for Manchester United target David Raya
Premier League rivals Brentford are eyeing Freiburg shot-stopper Mark Flekken as a replacement for Manchester United target David Raya, according to reports via The Sun.
The Bees’ goalkeeper has turned down two contract proposals, with his existing deal expiring in the summer of 2024. As a result, the West London club are planning for life without the Spain international.
To that end, Brenftord have identified Flekken as the 27-year-old’s successor. The Holland international signed for the Bundesliga outfit in the summer of 2018 from MSV Duisburg, who play in the second tier of German football.
After a couple of seasons playing as a backup, the 29-year-old has now established himself as the number one at the Europa-Park Stadion side. The shot-stopper also made his debut for the Netherlands last year, although the goalkeeper was not in the squad for the 2022 World Cup.
As for Raya, he has gone from strength to strength over the years under Thomas Frank. In the previous campaign, the Spain international helped the Bees survive the drop.
This season, the West London club as a whole are thriving, fighting for a spot in a European competition in the league table. The 27-year-old has made 27 appearances in between the sticks for the West London club in the PL, keeping nine clean sheets.
Apart from United, Tottenham are also eyeing Raya. The Red Devils have David de Gea, Tom Heaton and Jack Butland in their ranks. Therefore, the Dutch manager has had to rely on the former Atletico Madrid star for the majority of the campaign.
Considering Brentford are looking for a replacement goalkeeper, it seemingly indicates that they expect the 27-year-old to part ways with them in the coming months.
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It remains to be seen how the goalkeeping situation at the Old Trafford side will evolve next summer. Will Raya replace his compatriot as the number one at the Theatre of Dreams? Only time will tell.
