De Gea not prepared to take a pay cut to stay at United
United want the keeper to continue, but on the condition he accepts a pay cut. Brentford’s David Raya is the favourite to join if De Gea doesn’t renew.
Manchester United are keen for David de Gea to continue at Old Trafford, but not at any price. The Athletic reports that the club want the Spanish keeper to take a salary cut. De Gea, whose contract will expire in June, currently earns 375,000 pounds per week but United’s offer of a contract extension would see his weekly wages slashed to 250,000 pounds.
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The 32-year-old is the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world but while he might consider a modest pay cut, he also believes that his good performances underline why he deserves to continue being of the team;s top earners. In his favour is United’s priority to sign a striker, a midfielder and a right-back this summer. If De Gea leaves, they would also need to bring in a new goalkeeper and that would affect the club’s compliance with Financial Fair Play regulations.
Ten Hag has kept the Spaniard in the starting line-up and hopes he will continue to be their goalkeeper for years to come. “I can’t ignore hos footwork, but we’ve seen a lot of games where he’s done really well. David is working on it. He’s getting better and he will continue to get better, I’m sure,” the United manager said with reference to the player’s struggles with playing out from the back.
David Raya if De Gea leaves
One of the names being bandied around as a possible replacement if De Gea does not renew his contract is David Raya. The Sun estimates that the operation to sign the Brentford keeper would cost 13 million euros although United would also need to fend off competition from Tottenham who are also believed to be preparing an offer. The 27-year-old Spain international is also one of the goalkeepers with the most suitors in the Premier League. His solid performances plus the fact that his contract ends in 2024 put him even more in the shop window.
Faced with possibly having to sell their first-choice keeper, after Raya twice rejected offers to renew, Brentford could find themselves looking to the market for a replacement. Freiburg’s Dutch international Mark Flekken is best placed at the moment. He is a similar age (Raya is 27 years old and Flekken, 28) so would be a good investment for the future. If they land Flekken, the Bees would increase the release clause to avoid a similar scenario happening again.