Manchester United are reportedly running the rule over Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Aynsley Pears as they search for a possible successor to Andre Onana.
Onana helped the Red Devils claim a 1-1 Premier League draw with title outsiders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, where the Cameroonian could have done little about Declan Rice‘s equaliser.
However, the former Ajax man has once again come in for criticism owing to a number of high-profile mistakes in the 2024-25 season, where he has kept just eight clean sheets in 38 games across all competitions.
Head coach Ruben Amorim has given Onana his public backing, but the Red Devils hierarchy are said to be scoping out replacements for the 28-year-old, whose number two Altay Bayindir has not made himself first-choice material either.
According to The Sun, Man United’s search for a potential Onana successor has taken them down to the Championship and more specifically Pears, who is being watched by Red Devils scout Tony Coton.
Pears to follow in father’s footsteps at Man United?
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The 26-year-old is the son of former Manchester United shot-stopper Stephen Pears, who represented the Red Devils for six years between 1979 and 1985 and made four appearances for the first team.
Stephen Pears left for Middlesbrough in 1985, and his son coincidentally started his goalkeeping career at the Riverside Stadium before joining Blackburn for just £369.2k in October 2020.
Aynsley Pears has since established himself as Blackburn’s number one, keeping 32 clean sheets from 99 appearances across all competitions, including 13 shut-outs from 35 matches in the 2024-25 Championship season.
Thanks to the 26-year-old’s efforts, Blackburn are in the promotion mix as they sit in eighth place in the Championship table, only three points below West Bromwich Albion in the final playoff spot.
Aynsley Pears – a former England Under-19 international – remains under contract at Ewood Park for another two seasons, but Blackburn may not be in a position to turn down a sizeable bid if they fail to win promotion.
Which other goalkeepers are Man United targeting?
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Aynsley Pears is not the only Championship goalkeeper that Man United are supposedly keeping tabs on, as the Red Devils are also believed to be eyeing a swoop for Burnley’s James Trafford.
The 22-year-old has been the last line of defence for a Burnley squad that has conceded just 10 goals in the current Championship season, and Man United supposedly hope to hijack Newcastle United’s proposed move for him.
However, as the Magpies are in European contention while Amorim’s men languish in the bottom half of the Premier League table, Eddie Howe‘s side should be in a better negotiating position with the goalkeeper’s camp.
Espanyol’s Joan Garcia is another name on Man United’s radar, but Arsenal are also firmly in the mix after seeing a bid rejected for the Spaniard, who is apparently being tracked by Barcelona too.
