David de Gea is closing in on signing a new contract at Manchester United.
The long, drawn out saga over the Spaniard’s future appears to be reaching a happy resolution.
BBC Sport, The Mirror, The Telegraph, and The Mail all simultaneously published reports claiming United are ‘confident’ De Gea will sign.
It’s almost as if they have been briefed by the club.
The details
De Gea is in position to become United’s second highest earner, possibly the best paid player if Alexis Sanchez can be offloaded this summer.
The reports claim he will be paid around £375,000 per week.
Intriguingly, ESPN claim De Gea has made a key demand from United’s board.
De Gea has reportedly sought assurances that United will return to competing to win the Champions League.
This season United are not even in the competition. Last season we reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2014.
An announcement is only expected from the club when De Gea and the side return from tour.
What it means
De Gea took a step back last season, but over the last five or six years he has consistently been the best one or two goalkeepers in the world.
Locking him down will be great news for United. Letting him leave for free next summer would have been unthinkable.
Keeping De Gea gives United a platform for success. Removing uncertainty over his future will help his performances.
The next step is for United to back up their promise to De Gea.
If United are to compete for the Champions League, major investment is required. This can start by signing a new centre-back to protect De Gea.
We can only hope for De Gea’s sake, and ours, that he is not being sold false promises.
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