According to The Telegraph, Manchester United might go after Jordan Pickford if the team decides not to activate David de Gea’s contract extension.
Although De Gea’s contract with the Red Devils is set to expire in June, the club has a clause that allows them to extend it by an additional 12 months.
A decision on the Spaniard’s contract has not yet been made, despite the fact that the 31-year-old is one of the best earners at Old Trafford and that Manchester United has the biggest wage bill in the Premier League, as was revealed last week.
De Gea renewed his contract in 2019, however it was cut to £350,000 per week after United missed the top four the previous campaign. The goalkeeper has started each game under Erik ten Hag so far this season, despite not being taken into consideration by Spain manager Luis Enrique.
The former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper, who Sir Alex Ferguson signed 11 years ago, had a rough start to the year and made blunders in Brentford’s 4-0 thrashing. But Ten Hag and the club’s management must make a choice regarding their number one because his contract at the Theatre of Dreams is about to expire.
Martin Dubravka was acquired by Ten Hag on loan from Newcastle United while Dean Henderson signed a season-long loan with Nottingham Forest.
While it is unlikely that United will exercise the buy option included in the agreement with the Magpies to sign the Slovakian on a long-term contract, the goalkeeping position needs to be considered for the long run.
Although United may want De Gea to stay longer, his exorbitant salary may be a major stumbling block. Henderson will probably want to come back if the extension for the Spain international isn’t activated so he can have another shot at becoming the club’s starting goalkeeper.
As per the report, Jordan Pickford still has one year remaining on his Everton contract. It appears that the English starter is being looked at as a possible De Gea successor.
