David De Gea is willing to take a pay cut at Manchester United but the club is considering other goalkeepers.
De Gea has been United’s goalkeeper since 2011 and will soon break into the top ten players with the most all-time appearances for the club.
He was named the players’ player of the year last term and has been one of few consistent performers for the club in the last decade, but the arrival of Erik ten Hag has put the Spaniard’s future in doubt.
De Gea is out of contract in the summer and United are considering triggering an extension to keep him at the club.
The 31-year-old currently earns £375,000 per week, meaning a season of full pay costs United roughly £19.5m.
The Athletic report that De Gea is willing to take a significant pay cut to remain at Old Trafford as he is ‘settled in Manchester’ and ‘does not hold a burning desire to relocate’.
But the report states that he would still expect to be No.1 at United and Ten Hag isn’t convinced De Gea is the right choice between the sticks going forward, though he’s ‘not closing that door’.
“His first two games of the season were not his best performances but after that you see he brings us a lot for the defence department and stability,” Ten Hag said recently. “As a person, also, I like him. I co-operate really well with him.”
United are in the process of scouring the market for alternatives, with chief goalkeeping scout Tony Coton leading the search.
The report clams Coton ‘is set to be busy travelling Europe for the next few months, feeding back first-hand reviews to the club’s data system’.
It’s claimed ‘a goalkeeper of good age to play for United over the coming decade is the primary target’.
A key asset for a new stopper is their ability to pass the ball from the back and be comfortable in possession.
23-year-old Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa is ‘being watched’ by United, as is Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, 25.
Any move will depend on the transfer fee with United having overspent in Ten Hag’s first transfer window in charge, but the Dutchman ‘will be included throughout the process’.
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