Manchester United have held talks to sign San Lorenzo and Paraguay star Orlando Gill, according to the goalkeeper’s agent.
Gill was one of the unlikely heroes of this year’s World Cup, playing every single minute as Paraguay made as far as the last 16, knocking out Germany in the process.
He will perhaps be best remembered for his heroic penalty-shootout display against the four-time winners, when he denied both Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade from the spot to help his nation advance through.
After registering clean sheets against both Turkey and Australia in Group D, Gill finished with the most saves of any goalkeeper at the entire tournament – totalling 28 stops across Paraguay’s five matches.
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Eloy Room came closest to matching Gill’s extraordinary numbers in this department, making 21 saves in his three group-stage appearances for rank outsiders Curacao.
Earlier this month, the 26-year-old claimed he had received a number of offers to leave San Lorenzo, with his World Cup showings said to have attracted the attentions of a host of top European teams.
The likes of Olympiakos, Aston Villa and Ipswich have all been credited with an interest in Gill, as well as Manchester United, despite the club already snapping up Karl Darlow on a free transfer.
Torino, Fiorentina, Feyenoord and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have also been tentatively linked with the 6 ft 6 in ‘keeper.
‘Offers are arriving but until something is concrete I’m going to keep thinking about San Lorenzo,’ Gill told Argentine outlet Ole.
‘I still have a contract with San Lorenzo. If nothing official happens, my head is at San Lorenzo.’
Fast forward two weeks and Gill’s agent Mario Jara has gone into further detail about the discussions he had held over the goalkeeper’s future and a potential move away from San Lorenzo.
Jara appeared to confirm that United had made enquiries for Gill while adding that there had been two ‘concrete’ proposals from two teams in Europe.
‘We are in talks with English clubs, as well as clubs in Germany. There were enquiries from Manchester United,’ he explained in an interview with DSports.
‘We only received two concrete offers. We are currently in the negotiation phase.’
Jara believes the time has come for Gill to take the ‘step up in quality’ from Argentinian football to one of Europe’s top five leagues.
‘The sale is close, the time is right. We have to handle it very carefully because there are many things involved,’ he added.
‘It’s ideal for him to take a step up in quality.
‘He’s prepared and capable of playing in any league, without a doubt.’
According to Jara, a summer transfer move would be in the best interest of all parties, including San Lorenzo.
‘We’re trying to finalise it as quickly as possible for everyone’s benefit,’ he continued.
‘It would be very important for San Lorenzo, hopefully it will come to fruition.’
Considering Gill’s ‘personality’ and ability to cope under pressure, Jara was ‘not surprised’ to see his client perform to such a high level at the World Cup.
‘I’m not surprised by the level he’s playing at, no at all,’ he went on.
‘He has no ceiling and he has a lot of room to grow, but what he did against Germany really catapulted him.
‘Everything he went through at the World Cup wasn’t easy, especially in the 4-1 loss to the United States. Many influential people weighed in.
‘He has a great capacity for handling those kinds of situations.
‘He has a great personality for coping with difficult situations.’
Should Gill seal a move to Old Trafford, he would join Michael Carrick’s squad as back-up for undisputed number one Senne Lammens, who enjoyed a strong debut season with United last term.
Gill’s current contract with San Lorenzo runs through to the end of 2027.
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