Tom Heaton agrees Manchester United transfer

Tom Heaton will return to Manchester United on a free transfer when his Aston Villa contract expires in June.

The goalkeeper came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford but never made a senior appearance, despite impressing on loan to a string of Football League clubs between 2005 and 2010. He eventually left his boyhood side and has since carved out a reputation as a fine stopper.

His Villa contract will expire on 30 June and when it does he will link up with United, according to the Mirror. It is likely that Heaton will come in to replace fellow experienced keepers Lee Grant and Sergio Romero, who are also out of contract in the summer.

Heaton has the added of bonus of counting towards the club's homegrown quota. Although he failed to make a single appearance for Villa this season thanks to the form of Emiliano Martinez, he is a reliable stopper. At the peak of his powers Heaton was considered one of best goalkeepers in the country, earning three England caps between 2016 and 2017 and also being selected in the Three Lions' Euro 2016 squad.

His arrival further complicates an already messy goalkeeping situation at Old Trafford. Last season United had three stoppers all on high wages with one of them, Romero, not even making their 23-man Premier League squad.

David de Gea and Dean Henderson are currently locked in an intense battle for the number one jersey. Although it appears that Henderson may get the nod next season, finding a suitor for De Gea could prove challenging.

Both Madrid clubs and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked in the past, but with all three sides looking solid in the goalkeeping department these moves would be unlikely to offer him the first team football he craves.