De Gea ‘now considering his options’ after shocking Man Utd U-turn opens door for Henderson return
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea recently signed a new contract, only for the club to back out and offer him another deal with a lower salary, according to a report.
De Gea’s current deal expires at the end of June and he has been in contract talks with the Red Devils since the turn of the year.
Manager Erik ten Hag has always spoken highly of the experienced Spaniard and is hopeful he will agree fresh terms, though there is no way the player will stay at the club unless he agrees to a wage significantly lower than his current £375,000 weekly pay packet.
De Gea made several crucial mistakes during the final third of the season. He was key in his side’s exit from the Europa League, making two errors in their quarter-final second leg against eventual winners Sevilla, before a big mistake against West Ham in the Premier League.
A new No. 1 is imperative for Ten Hag and there now appears to be a real reluctance to keep De Gea as his first choice.
According to The Athletic, De Gea signed a new contract with the Red Devils, who then ‘backed out’ of the agreed deal.
The 32-year-old ‘agreed to a drastic reduction on his current £375,000 per week wages’, only for the club to ‘not sign the contract’.
In a spectacular U-turn, United then offered De Gea another contract, ‘with an even lower salary’.
READ MORE: Ranking revisited: How Ten Hag views his Man Utd squad, with a new no.1…
This means a new contract is yet to be fully agreed, and De Gea, ‘who wants to continue playing at the highest level’, is ‘now considering his options’.
Talks remain ‘ongoing’ and we will see just how much the goalkeeper wants to keep playing ‘at the highest level’ with interest coming from Saudi Arabia.
Regardless of what happens with De Gea, Ten Hag is expected to sign a new shot-stopper in the summer transfer window.
There have been talks with Inter’s Andre Onana, who is also attracting interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Another player linked with a move to Old Trafford is Porto ‘keeper Diogo Costa, though he does not get a mention here.
Dean Henderson does get a mention, however. The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest and will return to United for pre-season.
He only managed 18 Premier League appearances in 2022/23 after suffering a season-ending injury in January.
Should De Gea leave, Ten Hag could make Henderson his new No. 1, the report claims.
A return to Old Trafford might not be Henderson’s priority, however. On Monday, it was reported that the England shot-stopper is ‘perplexed’ by talk of him playing for United next season.
Furthermore, Manchester Evening News said Henderson’s attitude has ‘p*ssed off” Ten Hag.
READ MORE: The 20 best footballers out of contract next month and available as free transfers
