Considering what a brilliant custodian David de Gea was for Man United over the years, the lack of suitable European opportunities since his Old Trafford stay came to an end is a bit of a head scratcher.
The Spaniard has effectively been out of work since the summer and there haven’t been too many reports of interest elsewhere, apart from the Saudi Pro League.
That doesn’t appear to be where the keeper sees his immediate future and, as such, he’s been biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity to come along.
With Nick Pope’s injury, ironically sustained against Man United, requiring surgery, Newcastle United are likely to be on the lookout for cover between the posts, and Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, believes St. James’ Park would be an ‘absolutely perfect’ destination for the Spaniard.
‘At the moment I still don’t have any confirmation on Newcastle’s plans with David de Gea, despite a lot of speculation,’ he wrote.
‘For sure, De Gea is a big opportunity, and he is waiting for this kind of opportunity, because it had some possibilities in Saudi at the end of August, beginning of September, and he always wanted to wait for European opportunities, and Newcastle would be absolutely perfect, so I’m sure that he would be keen on that kind of opportunity.’
Whether as a short or longer-term signing, de Gea certainly has the experience to take Newcastle to the next level and, as a free agent, there’ll be no transfer fee to speak of so the Magpies may be more inclined to meet de Gea’s salary demands.
Time is of the essence of course, and there’s no need to wait for the January transfer window to open.
If a deal can be tied up quickly, de Gea could be in place within the next couple of games.