David de Gea has essentially become part of the furniture at Manchester United - and a big decision on the goalkeeper's future at Old Trafford is soon to be made.
The 32-year-old joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has since made 354 appearances for the club in all competitions. And after a period of struggling for form, the Spaniard has been pivotal to Erik ten Hag this season, producing glimpses of his best amid their League Cup win and bid for a top-four finish.
But the club have also been heavily linked to a move for Brentford's David Raya. It's led to speculation as to whether the United No 1 will earn an extension to his current £250,000-a-week contract, which he penned in 2019.
Indeed, de Gea's Spanish compatriot appeared to drop a major hint on Tuesday as to whether he was seeking a move: "Obviously it’s nice to hear that clubs are after you and asking about you and looking for you," he told the Yours, Mine, Away! podcast. "These clubs are the biggest in the world and every player wants to play for these clubs and everything.
"I have a year left and I don’t know what will happen in the summer. I’ve said before that I’ve had two contracts that I’ve turned down because they weren’t the offers I was looking for. I want to push myself to the highest level to the Champions League, the Europa League and to win those trophies. I want to experience that and I’m at that stage in my footballing career."
But ESPN reported on Tuesday night that United are closing in on an agreement with de Gea over a new contract. While the deal is unlikely to offer a continuation of his current wages, it is likely to give him the chance to finish his career at the club.
In March, the stopper revealed he had turned down an offer, but remained at pains to insist that was not the end of negotiations and his desire to play for the club remained strong: "Of course I’ve been here many, many years enjoying every moment in this club, playing many, many games," he said.
"Of course is great to be here, it’s a massive club, I love the club and I’m really happy here of course. It has been the same over the years, a lot of noise about everything in this club but the players, we just focus on games."
The arrival of Raya would undoubtedly threaten his place though. The 27-year-old, capped twice by Spain, has been outstanding since The Bees were promoted to the top flight for the 2021/22 campaign, with Thomas Frank's side themselves still pushing for European football.
