David de Gea is set to turn down a lucrative contract offer from Saudi Arabia and commit his long-term future to Manchester United.
The Spanish international, 32, has been in talks with the Old Trafford hierarchy for months over a new deal and is willing to take a significant pay cut in order to extend his spell at the club.
An agreement between the shot-stopper and United is believed to be close, however, that hasn't prevented speculation over De Gea's standing at the club, with Erik ten Hag believed to be keen on acquiring a new goalkeeper who is comfortable playing out from the back.
As his contract is up at the end of the month, De Gea would be free to leave the club as a free agent if an agreement with United cannot be reached, and the veteran has been attracting interest from elsewhere amid his ongoing contract talks, including from the Middle East.
But talkSPORT are now reporting that De Gea is set to turn down a sizeable contract offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabain club in order to stay and fight for his future at Manchester United - even though Ten Hag has made it clear that he is unable to offer any guarantees that he will still be first-choice going forward.
In a recent interview with The Times, Ten Hag said: “I will not say he’ll [De Gea] always be my No.1 because in a club like Manchester United there must be competition in all positions. You can’t do it with 11 players. It is impossible. You need double positions.”
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De Gea has been criticised on numerous occasions this term by fans and pundits following a string of embarrassing errors. However, he did still pick up the Premier League's Golden Glove award after amassing more clean sheets (17) than any other top-flight goalkeeper.
The former Atletico Madrid man's inability to play out convincingly from the back has led to constant speculation that he could be replaced, with FC Porto's highly-rated Diogo Costa believed to be on Manchester United's radar.
Ten Hag alluded to the fact that top goalkeepers need to be competent with the ball at their feet and able to play out effectively in the modern game. The Dutchman continued: “It's not what I want [top footwork], it's more what top football demands nowadays.
“If you observe teams, you have to be capable of playing from the back and use your keeper as a plus one. Otherwise, it's simple for opponents to put you under pressure.” He continued. “He [De Gea] had to step up. In a number of games, he showed progression.”
