As moving forward with David de Gea shrouds in uncertainty, Manchester United gropes for a possible replacement. The Spaniard’s contract ends at the end of the next season, and he still hasn’t reached a new deal despite a generous offer of £350,000 a week and ongoing negotiations sprawling over nearly two years.
Many noticed the Spaniard’s diminished performance since last season, and the grave mistakes he made in crucial games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, and linked them to uncertainty about his future with the Red Devils.
All this makes for another transfer intrigue, especially with rumours of De Gea leaving for Paris Saint-Germain after the upcoming departure of the legendary Gianluigi Buffon this summer. According to The Times, de Gea could soon be ready to bid farewell to Old Trafford after eight years of service. United claims that they won’t sell the current keeper as of yet, but if there’s no agreement soon, the 28-year-old will be open to transfers, starting on January 1, 2020.
The obvious question to ask is: “Who could possibly replace de Gea?” Already, there were talks with Barcelona about Jasper Cillessen, but his release clause of £53 million is probably beyond what the club wants to pay right now.
Now, the most recent rumours from the Daily Record point to the young Mike Maignan currently representing Lille as a suitable keeper for Manchester United. Despite being only 23 years old, he’s valued by the currently second-best team in France Ligue 1 at £31 million after an impressive season.
Maignan is the top penalty stopper in Europe whose exploits in France Ligue 1 made for some of the luckiest moments in the sport’s history. Already voted the top keeper by the French professional footballers union this year, he deservingly received the call up for the Euro 2020 qualifiers versus Turkey and Andorra.
The boss of des Bleus, Didier Deschamps, has only positive things to say about the keeper who left Paris Saint-Germain four years ago to join Lille. He said: “He oozes serenity; his athletic presence is impressive.” Now everything is in Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s hands, but let’s see what the future brings.
