David de Gea has declined an opportunity to join Inter Milan as the replacement for Andre Onana, who recently moved to Manchester United.
After confirming the signing of Onana on Thursday, the 27-year-old is set to take over De Gea’s position as the new first-choice goalkeeper for United.
The Daily Record reported that the Italian giants offered De Gea the chance to fill the void left by Onana at the San Siro. However, the Spanish shot-stopper turned down the opportunity to move to the Serie A club.
Inter Milan had prepared a salary offer of £4 million per year for De Gea, but the 32-year-old is holding out for a much higher deal, closer to £9 million annually, which translates to approximately £200,000 per week in wages.
Since De Gea declined Inter Milan’s offer, the club is now shifting its focus to other goalkeeper targets. They are considering Anatoliy Trubin from Shakhtar Donetsk and Yann Sommer from Bayern Munich.
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De Gea is reportedly interested in returning to La Liga and has a preference for rejoining his former club, Atletico Madrid. However, his wage demands could pose a challenge to any potential deal.
Sevilla could present an option for De Gea to return to Spain, especially if their highly-rated goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, departs during the summer transfer window. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are said to be linked with Bounou, who is from Morocco.
De Gea’s previous contract with United was worth more than £52 million over four years, including signing-on fees and bonuses. If he wants to maintain his status as one of the world’s highest-paid goalkeepers, his best option may be a move to the Saudi Pro League.
After spending 12 years with United, De Gea recently concluded his tenure with the club. He received the Player of the Year award on four occasions during his time there and made a total of 545 appearances for the club, setting a record for the most clean sheets as a United goalkeeper.
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Talks between De Gea and the Red Devils continued until his contract expired, and there were reports of an initially agreed framework for a new deal, albeit with reduced financial terms. However, the deal was not finalized under manager Erik ten Hag, leading both parties to part ways.
Instead, Ten Hag expressed his desire to reunite with Andre Onana at Old Trafford, as they had previously worked together at Ajax. The Cameroon international joined United in a £43.7 million deal, signing a five-year contract with the club.
