Manchester United
Premier League • England
Astonishing Man Utd contract twist with senior star poised to leave after previously being ‘on verge’ of new deal
There has been a major update on the contract discussions involving Manchester United and one of their longest-serving stars, with a report claiming the player is set to leave Old Trafford.
In December, Man Utd triggered one-year contract extensions for Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford, Fred and Luke Shaw. They have since tied down Shaw and Dalot on long-term deals which last until 2027 and 2028 respectively.
The Red Devils remain in discussions with Rashford’s entourage over a lucrative new deal for the left winger. Paris Saint-Germain are big admirers of Rashford, although he is very happy at Old Trafford and would ideally like to stay there.
There has also been plenty of talk surrounding goalkeeper David de Gea’s prospective new deal at Man Utd, with his current terms due to expire at the end of June.
On May 9, The Telegraph explained how De Gea was ‘on the verge’ of signing a new contract. It would have seen his wages reduced from £375,000 a week, as Erik ten Hag no longer wants any of his players to earn more than £300,000 per week.
De Gea has since been offered a lucrative deal to move to the Saudi Arabian top flight, though he appears to have rejected this.
However, there is now real concern at Man Utd that the Spaniard may move on for free this summer. The club have announced their retained list and De Gea is not on it, as ‘discussions remain open’ between the two parties.
The Daily Mirror cast serious doubt over whether those talks will end in an agreement. They claim De Gea ‘is set to leave’ Man Utd as he is unhappy about being asked to significantly reduce his wages.
David de Gea could leave Man Utd
The Mirror point out that Man Utd’s statement includes U21s player-coach Tom Hiddlestone being ‘expected to stay’ after negotiations over a new contract. But the club did not use this phrasing for De Gea, suggesting they are far less confident about him remaining on their books.
It would clearly be a major blow for Man Utd to lose someone of De Gea’s experience. He also knows the club extremely well, having been signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011 and gone on to make over 500 appearances in all competitions for the side.
Despite this, Ten Hag may actually be slightly pleased that De Gea is going. The manager was left frustrated by some of the 32-year-old’s mistakes last term, while he also does not believe De Gea can play out from the back like he wants.
With De Gea now poised to move on, Man Utd could well take their pursuit of Porto keeper Diogo Costa to the next level. The shot-stopper has been linked with a switch to Man Utd over the past few months amid his top displays for both Porto and the Portugal national team.
Costa will not come cheap though, as the top Portuguese clubs know how valuable their star players can be. The latest reports have put Costa’s price tag at £65m.
Man Utd have previously been named as potential suitors for Brentford keeper David Raya. Instead, though, he is close to joining Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Friday’s Euro Paper Talk claims Man Utd have become interested in signing a big-name Milan star.