David De Gea has yet to sign a new deal at Manchester United, so his long-term future is in doubt. The 32-year-old’s contract is up in the coming months and he’s rejected the terms of an extension that’s been put to him, per Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, so Manchester United may have to consider a replacement.
Erik ten Hag has Jack Butland and Tom Heaton providing backup, but the former has spent most of the season injured, making the bench only five times in the Premier League, while the latter has made just three senior appearances in as many years, so United would need to dip into the transfer market.
Brentford goalkeeper David Raya is one of many names on their wishlist, but the Bees have slapped a lofty price tag on his head for any interested suitors. According to the Metro, it will take an offer up to £40m for Brentford to consider a sale – way more than Man Utd paid for De Gea 12 years ago (£19m).
Raya close to De Gea on statistics
That’s not to say Raya isn’t worth the money, however. The Spaniard is keeping De Gea out of the national team and boasts two caps. As per FBref, Raya is fifth for saves made in the Premier League this season (76.4% of 161 shots on target faced) while De Gea is 14th (67.9% of 112).
Raya has conceded 40 goals in 30 league games for Brentford (1.33 per game), keeping nine clean sheets (30%), while De Gea has conceded 37 goals in 29 league games (1.27 per game), keeping 13 clean sheets (44%). The two aren’t that far apart statically, so he might not be a bad alternative.
De Gea’s future is far from resolved, but he’s resigned to the fact he’ll have to accept a paycut to stay at Man United. The Spaniard is expected to bite the bullet and stay. But the fact remains that he’ll be a free agent in the coming months if the parties can’t reach an agreement, even though it remains to be seen where he would go.
The 32-year-old has made 532 appearances in all competitions since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, conceding 577 goals and keeping 185 clean sheets.
