Altay Bayındır is edging toward a loan move to Celta Vigo, but the deal is not finished yet. Chris Wheeler said "the deal isn't done yet", while Bayındır himself summed up the uncertainty in one line: "I have no idea. We will see. Time will show us everything." He has made only 17 appearances for Manchester United since arriving from Fenerbahce in September 2023.
The loan deal and the fee question
The main line from the latest reports is simple enough. Celta are said to want Bayındır on a season-long loan to compete with Andrei Radu for the No.1 shirt, and United's chances of getting a fee look slim. AS say there is very little chance of a payment from Celta, while a permanent move would require Bayındır to reduce his wages.
That is why the structure matters more than the headline. A loan would fit the reported interest, but it would also mean United are moving on a goalkeeper they signed for £4.3 million in summer 2023 without much chance of a return fee.
How Bayindir lost his place at United
Bayındır's exit talk makes more sense once you look at the pecking order. He lost his place to Senne Lammens at the beginning of October and has not made a competitive appearance since.
United also signed Karl Darlow on a free transfer after his exit from Leeds, and Tom Heaton has agreed a one-year extension. Bayındır's own run before the drop was not poor, with a 6.6 average rating across his last five league games and 450 minutes in that spell, but it was not enough to keep him ahead once the order changed.
Celta, by contrast, are coming at this from a stronger position. They finished 6th in La Liga in 2025 and are listed 11th in 2026, with three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five league matches. For a goalkeeper who has spent most of this spell on the outside at United, that is a decent landing spot if the loan is completed.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
