Newcastle eye ‘shock’ transfer for Man Utd legend after suffering ‘major blow’
Newcastle United are considering a transfer move for former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, according to reports.
De Gea was once considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he made over 500 appearances for Man Utd across all competitions before leaving in the summer.
The Spaniard’s form has declined over the past couple of years and Erik ten Hag opted to replace him ahead of this season.
An initial fee of around £47m was spent to sign Andre Onana from Inter Milan in the summer after De Gea left upon the expiry of his contract.
De Gea has been linked with several clubs around Europe in recent months but he is still without a club.
The 33-year-old has unsurprisingly been heavily linked with a potential move to the Saudi Pro League but now the Daily Mail have claimed Newcastle could be eyeing a move for the Spaniard.
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The report claims that the Magpies are ‘considering’ a ‘shock’ move for De Gea ‘as they await the results of scans on Nick Pope’s shoulder injury’.
On the scale of Pope’s potential injury, the Daily Mail adds:
‘Pope is facing a lengthy lay-off, with an operation currently considered the most likely course of action amid an expected absence of around four months, after he was forced off late on in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Manchester United with a repeat of the dislocated shoulder problem he suffered while at Burnley.’
They describe Pope’s injury as a ‘major blow for Eddie Howe’ and could ‘force Newcastle into the transfer market to reinforce their goalkeeping department’.
It is understood that former Man Utd goalkeeper De Gea is ‘one potential option Newcastle have looked at’ but ‘would have to accept lower’ than the £375k a week he was on at Old Trafford ‘to fit in with their wage structure’.
Speaking at the end of last month, journalist Rudy Galetti revealed that De Gea is still very much weighing up his options despite being out of contract since the summer.
“The future of David De Gea is still to be decided,” Galetti told Tribal Football.
“Many clubs are interested in him and at the moment anything can happen for the former Manchester United goalkeeper, currently still a free agent.
“In Saudi Arabia, Al Shabab and Al Nassr are interested in him and there have been some contacts between the Saudi clubs and the goalkeeper’s entourage, but to date there are no advanced negotiations.
“De Gea, in fact, wants to calmly evaluate all the possible offers that will come to him: like the one from MLS, where Inter Miami of Leo Messi are interested in David and are trying to convince him to land in the United States.
“But that’s not all: even in Europe there are teams attracted by the Spanish goalkeeper, such as Real Betis. The club is experiencing a difficult time with their goalkeepers, with Claudio Bravo and Rui Silva both injured, and the third goalkeeper Fran Vieites is at the moment the only option to defend the goal of the Verdiblancos: for this reason, De Gea remains one of their targets.
“Anyway, as told, the Spanish player is in no hurry to choose and the feeling is that his final decision will still take some time.”
