An unexpected opportunity has arrived.
“Real Madrid are on the verge of signing David de Gea, eight years after their attempt to sign him fell through,” said British media outlet TalkSPORT on Nov. 11 (KST). It comes eight years after they tried and failed to sign him.”
De Gea ended his 12-year association with Manchester United in June. It was a natural parting of the ways as United did not offer De Gea a new contract when he was out of contract.
During his 12 years with the club, De Gea won eight trophies, including the UEFA Europa League and the Premier League. He made 545 appearances for the club, the most ever by a United goalkeeper.
His weekly wages were also the highest in the team. At £375,000 (approximately $620 million), it was also the highest in the entire Premier League.
He was born in 1990, which isn’t a lot of age for a goalkeeper. However, he was showing signs of aging.
A few seasons ago, there was a clear decline in his performance. He’s been exposed for making ridiculous judgment calls and conceding goals due to poor reaction time.
As a free agent, he won’t cost a club a fortune to sign. Still, there weren’t many teams that wanted De Gea.
Inter Milan approached him, but he turned them down. The Nerazzurri had just sold their starting goalkeeper, Andre Onana, to Manchester United, and wanted to fill the position with De Gea on the cheap. For De Gea, it was a blow to his ego.
Two months passed without a team. Real Madrid approached.
In the meantime, Real Madrid had Thibaut Courtois in goal. The winner of last year’s Yasin Award and one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
However, an injury in training left him in tears. Upon examination, he was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
A major injury that will take months to recover from. Likely out for the season.
Real Madrid has a red light. Andriy Lunin is their only first-team goalkeeper.
With the leagues about to kick off, it’s not easy to find a goalkeeper who can step in immediately. De Gea, who hasn’t been able to find a club through the FA, is the best option for now. In 2015, Real Madrid came close to signing De Gea, but the deal fell through 스포츠토토 when a fax machine broke down and the paperwork didn’t arrive in time.
In addition to De Gea, Real Madrid are also eyeing Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga. Kepa is also looking for a new team as he has no place at Chelsea.