Goalkeeping is a priority position that Manchester United may be looking to bolster this summer, with rumors swirling over whether long-time player David De Gea will be retained past his current deal.
There have been rumors that the 32-year-old Spanish player will soon receive a reduced-term extension on his current contract, which only has a few weeks left to run. However, manager Erik ten Hag is unlikely to guarantee that the former Atletico Madrid player will remain his first choice for next season.
Given that he was responsible for Ilkay Gundogan’s winning goal in the FA Cup final loss to Manchester City, the £375k per week player may have turned into a “big problem” for the Red Devils, claims analyst Jamie Carragher.
Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News claims that De Gea “needs moving on” because of his inability to cope with the German’s “saveable” attempt. It is currently unclear who would replace the Premier League champion at Old Trafford.
Jordan Pickford of Everton and England has recently become a potential surprise possibility, according to The Sun, who claims that Ten Hag is considering a move for the 29-year-old even if De Gea stays at the team.
Despite the former Sunderland player having only recently agreed to a new, long-term contract at Goodison Park, the source claims that a transfer fee of about £30 million might be sufficient to complete a move this summer.
Will Pickford be a good fit for Man United?
Although Jamie O’Hara, a pundit, claims that the veteran custodian has been “outstanding” for his nation in recent years after starting in the last three major competitions, it is still unclear whether he can be counted on regularly at the club level.
A “strange custodian” and somewhat of a “liability” between the sticks, according to Chris Sutton of BT Sport, the £125k per week asset “makes too many mistakes.”
The 52-cap maverick made two mistakes that resulted in goals in the top tier in 2022–2023—the same number as De Gea—so it is obvious that such a deal would not be without risk for United.
The Old Trafford management may also be reluctant to recruit a high-profile player from Goodison for fear of being burned again after famously agreeing to a deal for Romelu Lukaku from the Toffees in 2017.
The Belgian international scored 42 goals in 96 games while playing for Manchester United, despite being criticized by Luckhurst for his “woeful” and “costly” finishing in 2018. He also missed a golden opportunity for Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions League final, which cost Inter Milan the match.
The former Chelsea player’s “control isn’t great,” according to club legend Paul Scholes, who also harshly criticised the striker’s link-up play. Fellow treble winner Gary Neville went so far as to say that he was “delighted” when Lukaku was eventually sold to Inter in 2019 after being signed for a similar sum two years earlier.
If Pickford follows the same course this summer, there may be worries that a similar catastrophe will take place given how the audience at the Theatre of Dreams is reportedly not warming up to the powerhouse born in Antwerp.