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Manchester United have a lot of work to do in the summer transfer window if they are to build upon Erik ten Hag’s promising debut campaign.
The Red Devils qualified for the Champions League and fans will expect a deep run in the tournament and a possible Premier League title charge.
While a new striker seems to be the most important transfer piece according to the manager, the missing link could be the addition of a new goalkeeper.
DDG’s future remains up in the air
A lot has happened recently with regards to David de Gea‘s future at the club. Ten Hag kept backing him despite the many mistakes with news emanating from the club that the Spaniard was close to agreeing a new deal on lower wages.
United opted against triggering the one-year extension option in his contract due to his enormous wages and instead opted to begin fresh contract talks which would include a significant reduction but include performance-related bonuses.
Ten Hag had made it clear that while he did want the 32-year-old to stay, he refused to offer assurances regarding his No1 status and the club were reportedly eyeing increased competition.
But after the FA Cup final howler, things slowly started to change and recently it came to light that a new agreement might not be that close and a separation could be on the cards.
United’s interest in targets such as Everton’s Jordan Pickford, Diogo Costa of Porto, Inter Milan shot-stopper Andre Onana was reported heavily by the media.
The United No 1 is said to be attracting interest from Saudi Arabia who are promising untold riches but transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Spain international still wants to stay at Old Trafford.
DDG still wants to stay according to Fabrizio
“For David de Gea, the priority is to stay at Manchester United. He really hopes to stay a bit longer at Old Trafford, but if this won’t happen, Saudi will be one of the options.
They approached him two weeks ago, but it is not advanced yet as United is his priority,” Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside Substack.
De Gea has spent a trophy-laden 12 seasons at Old Trafford and is the only player among the current squad to have lifted the Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson. He has made more than 500 appearances for the Reds.
The Spaniard is a club legend but whether he will stay on as the reserve option is a tricky proposition. In that case, a parting of ways might be the best outcome.
