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David de Gea‘s contract situation at Manchester United looks to be coming to a head at last, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Spaniard’s current deal is set to expire at the end of next month and, while United do have the option to trigger a twelve month extension, the club have no intention of doing so.
That is largely due to the colossal £375,000-a-week pay packet the club are currently committed to, with De Gea among the highest paid players in the league.
He is not only the highest-paid goalkeeper of all time; he is also the highest-paid Spanish footballer of all time.
Such a situation is now deemed untenable, particularly in light of the number one’s declining performances. But Man United are still determined to keep De Gea, and the goalkeeper wants to stay.
As a result, the two parties have been engaged in negotiations over a brand new deal on reduced terms that would see De Gea remain at Old Trafford for years to come.
And Fabrizio Romano now claims that such an agreement is very close, having told GiveMeSport, “They wanted to reduce his salary but, at the same time, to have a different structure with the contract – maybe a longer contract with a different structure of the salary – so this is the discussion, but it’s now very, very advanced.
“De Gea wants to stay and Manchester United want to keep De Gea, so the idea is to continue together. I think Erik ten Hag has been very, very clear on that. It’s about the final clauses and then it will be completed soon.”
De Gea has claimed the Premier League Golden Glove already this season, having kept 16 clean sheets during the campaign.
However, his lack of proficiency in possession – not to mention his numerous highest-profile errors this season – mean that Man United are likely to sign a goalkeeper capable of providing genuine competition in the summer.
The club tried to do this last summer, having pursued Kevin Trapp and Yann Sommer, but had to settle for loanee Martin Dubravka, who never threatened the position.
It would appear that the goalkeeper position for Manchester United will be one to keep an eye on over the coming months.
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