De Gea set to leave Man United as free agent after 12 years

The David De Gea saga comes to its head on Friday, as he officially becomes a free agent if no agreement is found. The Spaniard has made just shy of 550 appearances in his 12 seasons with the Red Devils, and this would be a somewhat anti-climatic end for the player who has won a record four club player-of-the-year awards.

The club have long been wanting him to take a pay-cut on his £375,000-a-week deal that was signed in 2019, and although De Gea agreed and signed the new contract, the club did not. It has been reported that since then, Old Trafford tried to change the framework of the deal again, and this is where the stalemate arose.

The 32-year-old would be able to sign again with United from Saturday, but he would equally have the opportunity to sign wherever he pleases, although even with a pay-cut, he's still a very high earner, and there are a limited number of clubs that could match his salary demands.

If the veteran keeper did leave, it would land Erik ten Hag and his team in a spot of trouble. The Dutchman is working on a strict budget, until a deal about the takeover of the club can be reached, and having already reportedly agreed to spending £60 million for Chelsea's Mason Mount, as well as targeting a centre-forward, the club would likely need to make some sales before they can look at any concrete signings.

There have been initial talks with Inter Milan over their goalkeeper, Andre Onana, but the Italians will want a premium for him, as they are sitting in their own financial troubles, and United are not the only club interested. 

Both parties in the De Gea negotiations seem to be tiring of the endless impasses, so hopefully a deal or a departure will be resolved soon in Manchester.

 

June 30, 2023