Erik Ten Hag May Be Forced To Persist With David De Gea Next Season
Manchester United may find themselves unable to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer, despite Erik ten Hag’s preference to replace David de Gea.
That is according to James Ducker of The Telegraph, who claims that the Red Devils’ need for reinforcements in other areas of the pitch may limit what the manager can do.
The priority is clearly at centre forward, with Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen the top targets. Neither would come cheap, likely commanding fees around the £100m-mark or more.
United are also in need of a midfielder, with the club expected to revive their interest in Frenkie de Jong in the summer.
Failing that, Moises Caicedo and Jude Bellingham are of interest. The former has recently signed a new contract weeks after a £70m bid from Arsenal was rejected, while the latter will likely cost the national budget of a small country should the expected bidding war transpire.
Declan Rice is also mentioned by Ducker, although Arsenal look to be in the driving seat for the West Ham United captain.
Ten Hag is also said to admire both Mohammed Kudus and Mason Mount, either of whom could offer versatility in their ability to offer cover deep in midfield or in attack.
Even just taking into account the cost of bringing in a striker and midfielder of such profiles, the outlay would be significant.
However Ten Hag is also interested in signing a right back, particularly if Aaron Wan-Bissaka leaves the club or Diogo Dalot decides not to renew his contract at Old Trafford.
As previously reported by The Peoples Person, Jeremie Frimpong appears to be the top target in that position, and his club are likely to ask for up to £50m for the Bundesliga speedster.
United could be looking at a spend of over £200m on just three players, which is unlikely to leave much room to manoeuvre regarding a replacement for De Gea.
With David Raya slated to cost £40m and Diogo Costa having a £66m release clause, a quality addition could be out of the club’s reach this summer.
Ten Hag recently admitted that he “can’t ignore” the Spaniard’s poor distribution anymore, but while he is insistent that the goalkeeper can improve his distribution, it seems clear that the manager does not see him as the future.
