It seems that Manchester United’s match-winning, ever dependable goalkeeper David de Gea, is set to leave in the summer, having told the club hierarchy that his future is not at Old Trafford. de Gea has reportedly rejected a new contract from the Red Devils, to extend his stay beyond 2020 when his current deal expires.
de Gea has been one of the most consistent match-winners for Manchester United over the last few seasons but has now set his sights away from Old Trafford with Paris Saint-Germain his likely destination, who could put in a bid of £60million for the Spaniard. de Gea signed for Manchester United in 2011 for £18.9 million and went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League while winning the Manchester United Player of the Year award four times.
With the Spaniard set to leave the club, who can replace him? Let’s shortlist the 3 players who can replace the Spaniard in the Manchester United side.
Jan Oblak
Regarded as one of the best in the world, Atletico Madrid’s Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak has had a number of good years with the Spanish club. Oblak signed for the Madrid club in 2014 for €16 million and has become an important part of manager Diego Simeone’s team.
With Atletico Madrid set to rebuild their team, Oblak may seek pastures new and it has been quite obvious that Manchester United are interested in signing him. But it would require a world-record transfer fee for goalkeepers at €120 million – which is his release clause – to get him over to Old Trafford. At 26 years of age, he has quite a few of his best years ahead of him between the sticks.
Jasper Cillessen
A cheaper option for a quality goalkeeper would be Barcelona’s No. 2 Jasper Cillessen, who has played second fiddle to Marc-André ter Stegen at the Catalan club since signing for them in 2016 for €13 million from Ajax. The 30-year-old is an experienced shot-stopper having been Ajax’s goalkeeper for a few seasons and the Dutch national team No. 1 as well.
At Barcelona, he has found few opportunities to perform, but it looks like he will move away from the Nou Camp before the start of next season. Benfica are reportedly interested in signing him. Barcelona are demanding around €25 million for him, which would be a significantly lesser fee than to sign Oblak. But at 30 years of age, Cillessen may have just a few years left at the top level.
Andre Onana
One of the many stars of Ajax’s dream year was goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had a fine season between the sticks for the Dutch team. The 23-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper was formerly a part of Barcelona’s youth academy, playing for them between 2010 and 2015 before moving to Ajax.
Onana has already expressed his desire to return to Barcelona, calling it his “home“, and could move to the Catalan giants as a replacement for Cillessen, but revealed that he wants to be the No. 1 keeper and will go to a club where he plays on a regular basis. If Manchester United want to sign Onana, they have to move quickly. Ajax reportedly rejected a Manchester United offer for Onana but the Dutch club will only let go of their No. 1 for €40 million.