Ronaldo set to link up with former Man Utd teammate

Suraj Radia

14 Aug 2023 12:55 BST
4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have become the latest team to declare and interest in David De Gea, with the former Manchester United goalkeeper still yet to find a new team.

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De Gea left Old Trafford this summer after 12 years at the club but he has so far seen a surprising lack of concrete interest in his services, leaving the 32-year-old as a free agent going into the new campaign.

Real Madrid tentatively considered De Gea as an option to cover for Thibaut Courtois, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in training last week, although Carlo Ancelotti’s side have since signed Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan as a replacement.

DONE DEAL: Kepa joins Real Madrid from Chelsea

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, have been in the market for a goalkeeper, with Manuel Neuer still recovering from a broken leg, but there are doubts over De Gea’s suitability for the role, while the Spaniard is understood to prefer a move to his home country.

However, with no major moves on the horizon for De Gea, Spanish outlet Marca claim that Al-Nassr are ‘strongly committed’ to bring the goalkeeper to Saudi Arabia and reunite him with ex-United teammate Ronaldo.

With the Saudi transfer window set to remain open after the European deadline, De Gea may hold out for a European side before considering the lucrative offer from Al-Nassr.

De Gea out in the cold after United u-turn

De Gea was initially expected to stay at United after verbally agreeing terms over a new deal, however the Premier League side backed out of negotiations following the keeper’s error-prone end to the season.

Erik ten Hag was always keen to replace De Gea with a more progressive goalkeeper capable of playing with the ball at his feet, with Andre Onana arriving from Inter last month in a £47 million deal.

SUCCESSOR: Why Onana needs more than good distribution to top De Gea

De Gea was earning a reported £375,000-per-week at United but had been offered a new deal with a pay-cut to roughly £200,000, however the club decided against finalising the contract and allowed their number one to leave on a free transfer.

Few teams in Europe have been able or willing to offer De Gea a similar salary, meaning a switch to Al-Nassr could result in the most likely solution for the United legend.