Manchester United have rejected the option to renew David de Gea’s contract as they look to find a more economical option for keeping the Spaniard, but have renewed the contracts of four more stars.
De Gea is out of contract in the summer, and his wages are thought to be a major stumbling block to any new deal, including the optional 12-month extension option that the Red Devils have in the current contract.
And, as per the Athletic, Erik ten Hag and co. have opted against extending the current deal, with the club keen to tie him down to a deal on less than his current £375,000 per week wages.
However, they add, De Gea remains “in talks over new deal on lower salary”, with the 32-year-old shot-stopper likely to be second choice at best next season amid interest in a whole host of new no.1s at Old Trafford. So far, they have been linked with moves for Yann Sommer, Diogo Costa, Dominik Livakovic and Unai Simon, all of whom were on show in Qatar.
Better news for four
However, the club have secured the contracts of in-demand duo Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot, both of whom were due to be out of contract this summer. Dalot was attracting attention from Barcelona, who are expected to let current right-back Hector Bellerin leave for free in the summer, while Paris Saint Germain had publicly expressed their admiration for Marcus Rashford, who grabbed three goals at the World Cup for the Three Lions.
The pair are also expected to be in line for new longer-term deals in the future, with suitable pay-rises to reflect their importance to the Red Devils.
It leaves just Martin Dubravka, Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and young talent Alejandro Garnacho due to be out of contract come the end of the season, with the first three all expected to leave for free.
