De Gea FINALLY signs... and nets £375k a week
DAVID De GEA has become Manchester United’s highest-paid star after finally signing a £375,000-aweek contract at Old Trafford.
The deal, which runs until June 2023 with the option for United to extend it by another 12 months, was confirmed yesterday after two years of talks between De Gea’s camp and the club.
It guarantees the 28-year- old Spaniard £75million in salary and makes him the biggest earner at United ahead of Paul Pogba on £290,000, following Alexis Sanchez’s loan move to Inter Milan.
It also cements De Gea as the highest-paid goalkeeper in world football above Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea, Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak.
De Gea, who came within minutes of joining Real Madrid in 2015 before signing a new deal, could have left as a free agent next summer.
Negotiations over his latest deal have been protracted, not least because Sanchez’s £ 500,000- aweek contract — which is now shared between United and Inter — disrupted the pay scale at Old Trafford and led to the club’s other stars demanding parity.
De Gea also wanted assurances over United’s direction and ambition before committing himself to another long-term deal.
However, he was impressed by the loyalty shown by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the end of last season when there were calls for the former Atletico Madrid keeper to be axed due to a loss of form.
Sources close to both camps had indicated the new contract would be signed after the pre-season tour this summer. United improved their offer in July, but the situation then dragged on unexpectedly.
De Gea said yesterday: ‘The opportunity to continue my career at Manchester United is a genuine honour.
‘Now my future is fixed, all I want is to help this team achieve what I believe we can and win trophies again, together.
‘As one of the senior players in the squad, I want to support and lead in any way that I can to assist the younger players, so they know what it means to play here.
‘I am committed to continue repaying the fans for all of the care that they’ve shown me during the good times and the bad.’
Solskjaer said: ‘Over recent years, David has proved himself to be the best in the world and a vital part of our plans.’