David de Gea ‘unwilling’ to meet Man Utd wage demand as three-man replacement shortlist drawn up

David de Gea may have played his final game for Manchester United, if reports are to be believed.

The Spaniard, who has been the Red Devils’ no.1 since joining in 2011, was not included in the club’s list of retained players, despite fellow goalkeepers Tom Heaton and Nathan Bishop agreeing new deals. De Gea’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and it’s been reported for several months that he is expected to sign an extension.

United said ‘discussions remain’ in place over a new contract, yet the decision not to include the goalkeeper is an intriguing development. The Mirror claim the situation is ‘looking bleak’ and add De Gea isn’t willing to reduce his £375,000-a-week wages, which is proving to be a huge stumbling block.

Should De Gea leave, Andre Onana of Inter Milan, Porto’s Diogo Costa and England no.1 Jordan Pickford have been identified as potential replacements.

Elsewhere, ESPN report that United are ‘growing concerned’ the ex-Atletico Madrid keeper will leave  this summer. It’s also claimed the club decided against triggering an automatic one-year extension in his current deal, with negotiations centring around a longer contract with a lower basic salary but more performance-related bonuses.

“United are not as optimistic about reaching a compromise as they were a month ago,” ESPN continue, and they also report De Gea is weighing up options from Spain and Saudi Arabia.

Should De Gea leave, it would be a remarkable turnaround for a player who just a few weeks won the Premier League Golden Glove award, and enjoyed a largely positive season.

But high-profile mistakes in the final weeks against Sevilla, West Ham United and in the FA Cup final saw the 32-year-old end the campaign in a disappointing manner, while the keeper’s lack of proficiency with his feet has been a source of frustration for Erik ten Hag this season.

Dean Henderson is also a factor in United’s goalkeeper situation. He briefly surpassed De Gea as no.1 at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, although Henderson mainly played back up last season. After the ‘22/23 campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest, it was reported last week that he could head back to the City Ground on a permanent basis, yet it waits to be seen if De Gea’s transfer status impacts those arrangements.