David De Gea close to agreeing terms with Manchester United

Manchester United are reportedly closing in on a new contract agreement with their number one goalkeeper David De Gea, according to ESPN. The 32-year-old’s future has been in doubt in recent months due to uncertainty surrounding his contract negotiations with the club.

Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, recently introduced a new wage structure called the ‘Ronaldo rule’, which sets a salary cap of £200,000 per-week to prevent dressing room jealousy surrounding differing pay checks among players.

The new wage system was brought in after Cristiano Ronaldo’s acrimonious departure, with the Portuguese superstar reported to have earned over £500,000-per-week during his second stint at Old Trafford.

David De Gea, who is currently earning a reported £375,000 per-week, is said to be over the threshold set by the new wage system, however, reports suggest that the Spanish international has agreed to take a pay cut in order to meet Ten Hag’s new regulations.

The Spanish goalkeeper is approaching the end of his current contract at Old Trafford and could leave the club for free in the summer, but Manchester United do have the option of triggering a one-year extension to his current deal. However, it seems that De Gea’s contract situation could be reaching a conclusion, as ESPN reports that he is close to agreeing fresh terms with the club.

United are said to be using larger performance-related incentives to encourage David De Gea to extend his 12-year stay at Old Trafford. Although most of the terms have reportedly been finalised, talks are still ongoing about the structure of the contract.

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford, another player yet to sign a new deal at Old Trafford, is also a priority for Ten Hag. The Englishman’s current contract is set to expire next year. Rashford has been in great form this season, scoring 27 goals across all competitions, which is already his highest-scoring season at Old Trafford.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the club’s new ownership, negotiations for Rashford’s contract extension are said to be progressing well. There is also reportedly growing confidence on all sides that a new deal will be agreed.

Manchester United are looking to secure their star players’ futures as they aim to compete for major honours in the future.