Manchester United make key transfer decision on David de Gea amid contract standoff

Manchester United are reportedly prepared to stick with goalkeeper David de Gea next season, even if he declines the opportunity to sign a new long-term contract with the club.

The Spain international has been with the Red Devils for the past eight-and-a-half seasons and during this period, he has amassed 100 league shutouts while bagging the club’s Player of the Year award in four seasons.

With this in mind, the club have sought to extend his current deal beyond the summer of 2019, but it appears that the negotiations have reached a halt with their reluctance to match the player’s £350,000-a-week demands.

As such, there have been concerns whether the goalkeeper will remain at the helm beyond the summer, but The Mirror claims that the club are quite clear regarding their stance on the player’s future.

It is added that the club will resist any offers to sell the Spaniard when the transfer window reopens in the summer and they could be prepared to take the risk of losing him on a free next year.

Opinion:

De Gea has been hugely important to the club’s progress in the Premier League in recent years, and he has on a number of occasions saved them from the jaws of defeat with superlative displays between the sticks.

Based on this, United would want to stick with the Spaniard ahead of a summer rebuild, and they will be hoping that the keeper’s stance chances by witnessing the club’s ambition in the transfer market ahead of next term.

Should this not be the case, they risk the prospect of losing De Gea on a Bosman in June 2020, and there comes a situation where they would need to spend a significant sum to recruit another world-class shot-stopper.

Image – Getty