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After months of negotiation surrounding David de Gea‘s new contract at Manchester United, there has been no confirmation of an agreement.
The Spaniard has come in for criticism in recent months despite securing the Premier League Golden Glove award last term.
A number of high-profile errors, including a poor attempt at a save in the FA Cup final, along with a generally poor standard of distribution have forced the Red Devils to consider their long term future between the sticks.
And having not yet signed off on De Gea’s new deal, there is a feeling that the club may well look to strengthen their goalkeeping options, ideally with a player more suited to Erik ten Hag’s preferred style of play.
According to The Telegraph, David Raya is very much still under consideration for Man United for exactly that reason. The Brentford shot stopper is already thought to have agreed personal terms with Tottenham Hotspur but a twist could yet be on the cards.
Spurs are unwilling to meet The Bees’ £40m valuable of their goalkeeper, with Raya entering the final year of his contract and unwilling to sign a new deal.
The mood is that Brentford may eventually lower their asking price rather than risk losing the player on a free – particularly given the London club have already secured his replacement. Mark Flekken, formerly of SC Freiburg, has already agreed to make an £11m switch to the Premier League in July.
Raya is expected to be leaving this summer and it seems only a matter of time before than transpires.
And while it currently looks far more likely that he moves to Tottenham as things stand, the uncertainty surround De Gea’s future makes the situation somewhat fluid.
The United keeper has been given no guarantees that he will remain as Ten Hag’s first choice next season, which could be a factor behind The Red Devils’ continued interest in David Raya.
But while the manager would certainly like to have a stronger cohort of keepers more suited to a proactive style of football, the number of areas of the team in need of more urgent reinforcement could force him to pursue with De Gea next season.
As the month draws to a close, a definitive decision will need to be made on both the future of David de Gea and the club’s pursuit of a goalkeeper. The Spaniard’s contract ends in just over two weeks.
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