Bayer Leverkusen confirm the signing of Man United goalkeeper Matej Kovar for £7.7 million
Bayer Leverkusen has confirmed the arrival of Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar.
The German side have been scrutinizing a deal for the 23-year-old goalkeeper and have now managed to reach an agreement with the Red Devils on a £7.7 million (€9 million) deal.
Kovar, who played 11 games for the Czech U21 side, has signed a contract with the Bundesliga giants until 2027.
The 23-year-old Czech stopper came over from 1. FC Slovácko to United’s youth academy in 2018, but was loaned out for a large part of his career.
He spent the 2021/22 season at Swindon Town before moving to Burton Albion and then Sparta Prague in 2022/23.
Bayer Leverkusen has confirmed the arrival of Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen have been looking all summer for a deal for Kovar
Your browser does not support iframes.
He played for the Czech Republic’s youth sides from U17 to U21 level and was called up to the senior squad for a friendly against Ukraine in 2021.
He leaves United without making a senior appearance for the Red Devils.
Kovar’s departure leaves boss Erik ten Hag short of goalkeeping options, with Tom Heaton injured at the moment.
That leaves only Andre Onana and Dean Henderson as options – with first-choice Onana lucky to avoid a send-off in their Premier League season opener after the Cameroonian escaped a red card in their 1-0 win over Wolves .
The hosts nearly paid the ultimate price deep into second-half stoppage time after Andre Onana charged off his line to claim a cross, only to miss the ball entirely.
Instead, the goalkeeper clattered at striker Sasa Kalajdzic, sparking fierce protests from the home side and their supporters before United pulled away.
The incident was checked by VAR, but referee Simon Hooper was advised not to look at his screen. To add to his misery, O’Neil was subsequently booked for his protests.
Kovar made no appearances for the Red Devils during his five years at the club