Inter Miami president David Beckham wants former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea as the MLS club’s next goalkeeper.
The shot-stopper left Old Trafford as a free agent at the end of last season after 12 years in the Premier League but has yet to find a club five months later.
De Gea, 33, did engage in discussions over a contract extension with Manchester United throughout the year.
However, despite seeming like he would be prolonging his stay, no deal materialized this summer.
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The player later confirmed his departure on social media in early July following a breakdown in talks between the two parties.
Man United soon moved on by replacing him with Andre Onana, who has become the club’s new number-one goalkeeper.
Over the months since De Gea’s departure, he has rejected several chances to return to the sport, including from the Saudi Pro League. The Spaniard is said to be holding out on a return to his homeland, with La Liga clubs Real Betis and Valencia reportedly interested, per the Daily Star.
However, his salary demands are seemingly stopping any move outside of suitors in the Middle East. While at United, De Gea was among the club’s highest earners, receiving a weekly wage of over $450,000.
Such figures would be prohibitive to Betis and Valencia, despite the latter having billionaire Singaporean business magnate Peter Lim as an owner. The former’s fans are their majority owner, with local businessmen among their other notable shareholders.
Therefore, Beckham hopes that a lack of movement will work in Inter Miami’s favor. The club is, of course, no strangers to signing Spanish players on free transfers after signing De Gea’s former international teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets last summer.
The goalkeeper played 38 games for the national team alongside Alba in defense as they came through the country’s youth system together before reaching the senior roster. He similarly made 34 appearances with Busquets in midfield ahead of him, so De Gea knows both players well.
As for Inter Miami’s captain, Lionel Messi, the goalkeeper faced him three times while the goalkeeper was playing in Spain for Atletico Madrid. He later played against Messi’s Barcelona twice in the Champions League at Man United, losing to them at the quarter-final stage in 2019.
The MLS club likely sees De Gea as a replacement for Nick Marsman, whom they exercised a contract buyout on midway through last season. The Dutch goalkeeper had lost his place as their starting goalkeeper to Drake Callender during the 2022 season.
De Gea would seemingly displace Callender as the first choice in net if a deal materialises. That is despite the Sacramento native enjoying a strong shot-stopping season that resulted in a first national team call-up. Only Austin FC’s Brad Stuver and St. Louis CITY SC’s Roman Burki made more than Callender’s 122 saves.
