It was back in July that De Gea was believed to have all but sorted a long-term extension to his United contract that is currently due to expire at the end of the season. However, there has been no official word from the club in the two months that have since passed.
8 years of wearing this shirt with pride #mufc pic.twitter.com/qGjIOfHwNV
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) August 7, 2019
An announcement did look imminent ahead of the opening game of the new season when De Gea tweeted, ‘8 years of wearing this shirt with pride’, alongside a collage of images of himself in United colours from various recent seasons.
The contract news still never came, but The Athletic has now reported that people ‘close to De Gea’ have ‘insisted that an announcement is near’.
The Guardian also independently reported earlier this week that the 28-year-old is close to signing a new contract, with only the final details of a deal worth £290,000-per-week in basic wages alone to be completed. It is said that De Gea ‘expects to sign soon’.
This is after The Sun conversely alleged in a recent ‘exclusive’ that he had ‘told friends’ he is ‘willing to snub’ a £350,000-per-week deal and leave Old Trafford on a free transfer. That version of events claims he has ‘given the impression’ he will listen to offers from elsewhere.
The Athletic does also note that there are some people within United who believe the delay in signing the contract indicates an ‘openness’ to see what other offers might be available.
What may be of concern to United fans is that The Athletic reports the interest from Juventus – the club most heavily linked with De Gea in recent weeks – is ‘genuine’. The Serie A champions are said to be preparing an offer of their own and are eligible to present it to De Gea in January.
Of course, if the new contract really is as close and they and The Guardian have been told this week, then it shouldn’t actually pose a problem.
De Gea is one of United’s three longest-serving players alongside Ashley Young and Phil Jones and has captained the team on three occasions in the Premier League so far this season.
Source : 90min