da premier bet： Manchester United will find it 'really difficult' when deciding whether to keep hold of goalkeeper David De Gea this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest news involving David De Gea?
da pixbet： According to 90min, Manchester United are said to be close to finalising a new contract for De Gea on a reduced pay packet from his current weekly salary of £375,000.
The report states that the Spaniard has an automatic one-year extension that could've been triggered on his present terms at Old Trafford, which would've stopped him from leaving on a free transfer once his deal expired in the summer; however, De Gea has now agreed to take a significant pay cut to prolong his spell at the Red Devils.
Nevertheless, Sportske Jutarnji via The Daily Mail have claimed that Manchester United are keen on Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and are looking to trigger his £8.9 million release clause, potentially providing a problem for De Gea as he may have competition for the starting slot between the sticks if the Croatian was to join.
Intriguingly, the Croatia international would become the first player from his native land to play for Manchester United if he was to complete a move to Old Trafford.
Speaking to Football FanCast about De Gea, journalist Jones thinks that Manchester United will need to weigh up his future carefully over the next couple of months.
Jones told FFC: "It's really difficult to get that right; it's really difficult to know that you're making a decision to axe a goalkeeper that's been there for so long and has been one of the best goalkeepers in the game. You're going to replace them, but you really have got to get that right. It's a big decision, but we've got to remember that Man United have been making progress in talks with De Gea."
Should Manchester United let David De Gea leave this summer?
It will undoubtedly be a difficult call for Ten Hag to make; however, it looks like the plan may be to keep De Gea and add some serious competition to the ranks, which may turn out to be an intelligent solution that would please the Manchester United support.
In 2022/23, De Gea has been ever present for the Red Devils, keeping 23 clean sheets in 51 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Despite this, he has also shipped 55 goals this term and has endured some uncertain moments at times, leading some to suggest that his status at the club as first-choice goalkeeper should be called into question.
Moving forward, signing De Gea to another contract and bringing in someone of considerable quality to compete with him could be a stroke of genius by Ten Hag.
And it will be intriguing to see how the experienced Spaniard would take to some serious competition with the likes of Martin Dubravka not providing that earlier in the campaign.