Transfer Centre

Manchester United 'reluctant to offer David de Gea new deal'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 18 December 2022

Man United 'reluctant to offer David de Gea new deal'

Manchester United are reportedly reluctant to trigger the 12-month extension option in David de Gea's contract and could sign a new number one goalkeeper.

Manchester United reportedly have reservations about handing number one goalkeeper David de Gea a new contract.

The Spaniard will enter the final six months of his current deal in January and will be able to depart Old Trafford as a free agent at the end of the season as things stand.

De Gea can begin talks with foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement next month, and his future has been shrouded in uncertainty for a couple of years now.

De Gea has beaten off competition from Dean Henderson and Martin Dubravka to remain Man United's first-choice in between the sticks, starting all six Europa League matches this season and a further 14 in the Premier League.

The 32-year-old has nine clean sheets to boast from those 20 games in 2022-23, but his exploits were not enough to land him a spot in the Spain squad for the 2022 World Cup.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag with goalkeeper David de Gea on October 30, 2022 © Reuters

Robert Sanchez, David Raya and Unai Simon were all preferred by Luis Enrique over De Gea, whose Man United deal does a 12-month extension option.

However, according to journalist Florian Plettenburg, Man United are currently reluctant to trigger that clause, and Erik ten Hag would welcome the arrival of a new goalkeeper at Old Trafford.

Plettenburg adds that De Gea is keen to remain in Manchester, but his extortionate salary of between €18m (£15.7m) and €20m (£17.5m) per year could tempt Old Trafford chiefs into signing a new number one.

Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak, Everton's Jordan Pickford, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez and Porto's Diogo Costa have all been mentioned as possible replacements, although the latter recently signed a new long-term deal with the Portuguese champions.

De Gea arrived at the Theatre of Dreams from Atletico Madrid for a €25m (£21.8m) fee in the summer of 2011, and the Spain international has kept 174 clean sheets in 507 matches for the club since.

David de Gea in action for Manchester United on August 7, 2022 © Reuters

Three hundred and ninety-one of those appearances have come in the Premier League, placing him fifth in the Red Devils' all-time list behind Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville.

De Gea has won the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and three Community Shields in Manchester, and he is not the only Red Devils player whose contract includes an option to extend until 2024.

Marcus Rashford, Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw could all leave on free transfers next year, but Ten Hag has confirmed that the club will exercise their options to keep all three at the club until 2024.

"We are talking to them to extend contracts, but we have control because we have an option on all the players and we will exercise those options," Ten Hag told the press.

Man United make their return to competitive action against Burnley in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday before a Premier League battle with Nottingham Forest on December 27.