The David De Gea Contract Saga

Manchester United remain in talks with David de Gea regarding a contract extension, with the Spanish No.1 goalkeeper on course to become a free agent once his current deal expires on Friday.

David de Gea signed a contract extension with Manchester United - only for the club to pull out of the agreement, it’s emerged.

The Spanish goalkeeper has entered the final week of his current £375,000-a-week deal, with United choosing not to trigger a one-year extension clause during the course of last season. De Gea, 32, then entered negotiations with the Red Devils, who presented him with a new proposal that included a drastic wage reduction.

It’s claimed by The Athletic that the four-time United Player of the Year accepted their offer and even signed the deal, but club chiefs got cold feet and pulled out. The Red Devils have now offered De Gea another contract with an even lower salary. The 32-year-old is yet to sign it, putting him on course to become a free agent this Saturday amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

The ex- Spain international would ideally like to stay at Old Trafford and build on his 12-season stay in Manchester which has seen him lift eight trophies. However, De Gea has been told that he isn’t guaranteed to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper next term.

This follows a series of errors towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign which cost Ten Hag’s side dearly. The Red Devils boss maintained throughout the torrid run that he wanted to keep De Gea, who’s been at United since 2011 when Sir Alex Ferguson signed him to replace the long-serving Edwin van der Sar.

United have held exploratory talks over a deal for Inter Milan’s Andre Onana and buying a new first-choice between the sticks is an option.

United figures met with Onana’s agent, Albert Botines, last week for discussions over a potential move, though the final decision hinges on the future of De Gea.

Onana, who started for Inter during their Champions League final defeat by Manchester City in Istanbul, played for Ten Hag during his spell with Ajax.

The likes of Porto stopper Diogo Costa, Brentford’s David Raya and Anderlecht’s highly-rated youngster Bart Verbruggen have also been assessed by United, who have spoken to potential No 2s in case De Gea does remain at the club.