Manchester United have revealed that contract negotiations are ongoing with David de Gea after announcing the release of seven players.
The 32-year-old just finished his 12th season at Old Trafford, during which he won the Golden Glove Award for the most shutouts in the Premier League.
However, not all of the Spaniard’s performances have been upbeat; questions have been made about De Gea’s ability to pass the ball the way Erik ten Hag prefers. In addition to making numerous mistakes when attempting to block shots, he has also made a lot of spectacular saves.
Despite these worries, United and Ten Hag are eager to sign De Gea to a new contract at Old Trafford, as 90min has extensively documented. However, his £350,000 weekly salary would need to be significantly reduced, and the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has in principle accepted that.
However, when announcing which players will remain at Old Trafford and who will depart, United was unable to confirm De Gea’s retention and instead stated that negotiations for a new contract are still ongoing.
The seven players leaving are Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe, Ethan Galbraith, Di’Shon Bernard, Eric Hanbury, Charlie Wellens, and Manni Norkett, however, goalkeepers Tom Heaton and Nathan Bishop have triggered contract extensions.
United’s desire for De Gea to stay has not affected their plans to bring a new goalkeeper to the club. Porto’s Diogo Costa and Brentford’s David Raya are two players they are keeping a close eye on, while sources have confirmed that the club are monitoring the situation of Inter’s Andre Onana – he has been a long-term target for Chelsea and could cost around £40m.
Another top aim for Ten Hag is to bring in a new striker who can take over as the team’s permanent number nine. Injury-wise, Anthony Martial has shown to be unreliable, and Wout Weghorst’s loan stint with the team was always only intended to be a temporary solution.
The three most prominent players on United’s shortlist are Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen, and Dusan Vlahovic, with interest also being shown in lesser-known names Benjamin Sesko and Rasmus Hojlund.