Man Utd find De Gea replacement after contract REJECTION

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 30 Mar 2023 10:55 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have earmarked Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel as a potential new number one goalkeeper, with talks over a new contract for David de Gea yet to bear fruit.

De Gea, Man Utd’s joint longest-serving player, is out of contract this summer, but the club are keen to extend his 12-season stay at Old Trafford.

So far, though, the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement on a fresh deal for the 32-year-old Spaniard, who is one of only seven ‘keepers to make more than 400 Premier League appearances.

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And, as might be expected, Man Utd seem to be exploring their options in the event that they end up parting ways with De Gea: according to German outlet Blick, the 13-time Premier League champions have ‘expressed an interest’ in signing Kobel.

Kobel, 25, has been a standout performer this term for Dortmund, who sit top of the Bundesliga with nine games to go, leading arch-rivals Bayern Munich by a point ahead of this Saturday’s Der Klassiker at the Allianz Arena.

The Swiss international joined Dortmund from Stuttgart two years ago and immediately became the club’s number one; he’s kept eight clean sheets in 18 league outings for Edin Terzic’s side in 2022/23.

Man Utd hopeful of getting De Gea deal done

While our Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model rates him at €27.4m, Dortmund are said to want up to €50m for Kobel; such a fee would make the 6ft 4in shot-stopper one of the most expensive ‘keepers of all time.

The Athleticreported on Wednesday that De Gea had turned down Man Utd’s initial contract offer, but the club are thought to be optimistic about retaining him.

De Gea has been an ever-present in the Premier League this season, with Erik ten Hag keeping faith with the veteran custodian despite his deficiencies as a ball-player.