Transfer Talk: Manchester United unlikely to extend De Gea deal
With just a few weeks remaining before the opening of the January transfer window, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Man Utd looking for new No. 1
Manchester United are unlikely to activate David de Gea‘s contract extension in the summer and will instead look for a new goalkeeper when the 2022-23 season comes to close, according to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenburg.
He reports that while the 32-year-old Spain international is keen to stay at Old Trafford for a further 12 months, United boss Erik ten Haag is open to the idea of a new No. 1.
De Gea is one of the best shot stoppers in the business, as has been proved many times this season, but Ten Haag is reportedly on the hunt for a keeper who is more comfortable with the ball at his feet.
That could leave De Gea available on a free transfer when the current campaign finishes in May 2023.
United signed De Gea for £19 million in 2011 and he has become one of the most reliable players in a team that has struggled ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
However, if the Spaniard was to move on, United would free up a significant amount of their wage bill.
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11.56 GMT: Manchester United are ready to make Marcus Rashford the club’s highest-earning player if he signs a new contract at Old Trafford, according to the Daily Star.
Rashford’s current deal is due to expire in June, but United can trigger an option to extend it by a further year in order to prevent losing him as a free agent at the end of the season.
The 25-year-old, who scored three goals for England at the World Cup, has reportedly turned down a £300,000-a-week offer. Now United are ready to increase that wage to £400,000 a week, more than veteran goalkeeper David de Gea is on but still some way short of the £500,000 that Cristiano Ronaldo was picking up before his contract was terminated earlier this month..
11.10 GMT: The Football Association has confirmed that Gareth Southgate will stay on as England manager through to Euro 2024.
The 52-year-old already had a contract for another two years but was considering whether to walk away after six years in charge following England’s World Cup quarter-final exit to France in Qatar.
Sources had told ESPN’s James Olley on Saturday that, after lengthy deliberations with his family and friends, Southgate was leaning towards staying and that decision was finalised in an FA statement on Sunday.
“We are delighted to confirm that Gareth Southgate is continuing as England manager, and will lead our Euro 2024 campaign,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said. “Gareth and Steve Holland have always had our full support, and our planning for the Euros starts now.”
Southgate became England boss after Euro 2016 and oversaw a dramatic improvement in the team’s fortunes, reaching the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup before guiding the Three Lions to last summer’s delayed Euro 2020 final, losing to Italy in a penalty shootout.
England were knocked out by France at the quarterfinal stage in Qatar and although he has a contract through to the end of 2024, he was considering whether he was the right man to continue in the role.
10.51 GMT: France forward Marcus Thuram could be made available for as little as €12m in the January transfer window by his club Borussia Monchengladbach, Bild reports.
Thuram, who is preparing for Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina, is out of contract at Gladbach at the end of next season. The 25-year-old has been linked with a host of top clubs, including Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Inter Milan.
Despite him potentially being a world champion when the window opens in a fortnight’s time, Thuram could be available for a reasonable transfer fee.
10.00 GMT: Cardiff City have been placed under a transfer embargo after failing to pay the first instalment of the fee owed to Ligue 1 club Nantes for Emiliano Sala, the Championship side confirmed to the BBC on Saturday.
Sala’s died in a plane crash in the English Channel as he travelled to Cardiff after signing for the club in £15 million ($18.21m) in January 2019. The pilot of the flight, David Ibbotson, also died.
Cardiff had appealed against a FIFA decision ordering them to pay the first instalment of his transfer fee, which amounted to €6m ($6.35m).
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in August that Cardiff had to pay Nantes the first instalment. The Welsh club appealed the CAS decision to a Swiss Federal Court, with a verdict expected next year.
Cardiff said they are also talking to the English Football League and football’s global body FIFA to resolve the issue.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)
– Chelsea are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen central defender Piero Hincapie, according to Sky Sports. The Ecuador international is seen as a slightly more affordable transfer option than Croatia and RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol, whose value is likely to have gone up after his impressive performances in Qatar. Hincapie, 20, played in all of Ecuador’s group games in the World Cup, and he could be available for £26.2m.
– Liverpool and Chelsea are battling it out to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to Sky Sports. The 21-year-old has impressed for the Seagulls this season and also starred for Ecuador in Qatar, where he scored in the group victory against Senegal. Formal talks are yet to take place, and the midfielder is contracted on the south coast until June 2025. However, while Brighton are reluctant to let go of their South American star, England’s top clubs are circling, which could mean a fierce battle in January, or beyond.
– Chelsea are interested in landing Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque, but the Athletico Paranaense striker has an £87m buyout clause, reports Globo. The rumours follow hot on the heels of Endrick’s move to Real Madrid, a player in which Chelsea were also interested. Roque, like Endrick, is also considered one of the hottest prospects on the continent, but the Blues face considerable pressure for his signature. The Timoteo-born forward is also attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
– Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Daichi Kamada has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Barcelona, reports Sport. The Japanese playmaker, 26, is a free agent from June and is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund, as well as from clubs in Italy. Frankfurt have made attempts to keep Kamada in Germany beyond his existing contract, but it appears as though the player has decided he wants a new challenge. Kamada impressed the Catalan club when the two teams faced each other in the Europa League last season, and the Germans are now looking at suitable replacements.
– Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to keep Lionel Messi in the French capital beyond the end of the current season, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. He reports that while Inter Miami have made moves to persuade the Argentine star to swap Ligue 1 for MLS, no deal has yet been agreed. And PSG officials would like the 35-year-old striker to stay for one more year. As such, they will make their proposal in the coming weeks.
