Why Man Utd have offered De Gea a huge new deal

Robin Bairner

• 11 Jan 2023 12:44 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United have reportedly offered goalkeeper David de Gea a new contract, which is a decision that will split fans of the Old Trafford club.

De Gea has struggled to convince his critics throughout his career with the Premier League club, which has been punctuated by big errors, the latest of which came against Everton in the FA Cup last Friday.

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Out of contract in the summer, many fans might have wished to see the back of the Spain international, yet Talksport reports that Man Utd have offered the shot-stopper a new contract worth £200,000 per week.

There are three compelling reasons why they might take this course of action.

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Sale of the club

As FootballTransfers exclusively revealed, the Glazer brothers are close to selling Manchester United. Any buyer will want a reasonable degree of stability when coming into the club, and seeking a new first-team goalkeeper with a significant time constraint is unlikely to be appealing. It is a position of vital importance, and while De Gea may not be the long-term answer to Erik ten Hag’s problems, his performances have not been such that he urgently needs to leave the club.

A relatively cheap option

De Gea is one of Man Utd’s best-paid players and, as such, is liable to suffer from the so-called ‘Ronaldo rule’, whereby a new wage structure offers a maximum weekly wage. Should he remain, De Gea’s wages will be slashed almost in two. He would, therefore, provide attractive value for money compared to his current deal.

Equally, though, De Gea has his eye on Jan Oblak’s status at Atletico Madrid as a consequence.

Other transfer priorities

Do Manchester United really want to give themselves another headache in the transfer window by forcing themselves to have another task? The Red Devils already have their hands full as Ten Hag tries to transition this squad. A right-back, a centre-back, a central midfielder and potentially a couple of attackers are required in the summer. Adding a goalkeeper to this list would simply give them another problem.