Man Utd exploring sensational Old Trafford return for David de Gea just days after keeper dropped cryptic hint to fans
The Red Devils have been tipped off that the Spaniard, 34, has a clause in his deal at Fiorentina — allowing him to leave for a relatively small sum.
4
4
Now discreet background calls are being made after De Gea made a good impression on his return to Old Trafford for a friendly last weekend and told fans their 'paths may cross again'.
Ahead of their opener with Arsenal, boss Ruben Amorim has kept Andre Onana guessing over whether he will be his No.1 this term.
Amorim said: 'It is like the other players. They all have to win their place. I am not going to say if one guy is number one.'
De Gea made 545 appearances for United between 2011 and 2023, putting him seventh on their all-time list.
But a dip in form and a contract dispute led to his exit, then former boss Erik ten Hag paid £43.8million to Inter Milan for Onana.
De Gea was without a club for the entire 2023-24 season but his hunger and form has returned at Fiorentina.
United ideally need Onana, 29, or Turkish back-up stopper Altay Bayindir to leave to free up wages.
But they could still find a way to accommodate him if De Gea was cheap enough.
4
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
He was presented with a framed picture by former teammate Bruno Fernandes during a pre-season friendly, which finished 1-1, between United and Fiorentina.
De Gea then posted on Instagram: 'A magical moment for me and my family to come back to Old Trafford — my home.
'From the bottom of my heart — I want to say thank you for the reception — for all the love you showed me.
'To the supporters that never stopped being with me throughout my time at this club. Our paths may cross again.'
Cameroon international Onana is expected to start against the Gunners on Sunday, despite missing all of pre-season with a hamstring injury.
United have been linked with several goalkeepers this summer leading to speculation he may be replaced.
Among them are Emi Martinez of Aston Villa, Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma and John Victor of Botafogo.
However, Amorim showed faith in the former Inter man during some tough times last season and there has been no new stopper signed this summer.
The Portuguese added: 'He is ready to go to the game. Let's wait. You will know on Sunday.
'Myself as a coach, the players who were here last year, we can do better. I have full confidence on that.'
Onana returned to training at the beginning of the week after getting an injury in early July.
Bayindir, 27, was expected to be sold this summer but has ended up deputising during their unbeaten build up to the season.
Antwerp's Senne Lammens, 23, was on United's list but he is now in talks with Inter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
10 minutes ago
- Metro
Man Utd tipped to sign £60m striker despite Benjamin Sesko transfer
Stewart Downing believes Manchester United could buy another striker before the transfer deadline despite the £74m signing of Benjamin Sesko. Sesko completed a big-money move to Old Trafford last week after turning down fellow Premier League club Newcastle United. The 22-year-old Slovenia international looks set to be Ruben Amorim's first-choice striker this season and could make his debut in Sunday's Premier League opener against Arsenal. Amorim sanctioned United's move for Sesko following Rasmus Hojlund's struggles since his £72m move from Atalanta. As well as signing Sesko, Manchester United also brought Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to the club this summer. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. United's focus for the final two weeks of the transfer window looks set to be on outgoings rather than incomings, with Amorim hoping to offload Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony. But ex-England winger Downing reckons Manchester United could pull off one major signing before the transfer window closes. 'Who knows, Ollie Watkins could end up at United too,' Downing told Flashscore. 'You never know late on, and then Man United all of a sudden become a lot better team than they are.' Watkins was linked with a move to Old Trafford before Manchester United spent £74m on Sesko. Aston Villa rejected a bid for Watkins from Arsenal in January and would want around £60m were they to sell the England international this summer. As well as tipping Watkins for a move to Manchester United, ex-Premier League star Downing believes he would be a shrewd signing for Newcastle. St James' Park bosses have been linked with a number of forward after Alexander Isak told the club he wanted to leave. Newcastle initially insisted Isak would not be sold but appear to be softening their stance given the 25-year-old has effectively gone on strike to force through a move. 'I think he'd definitely be a good signing for Newcastle to replace Isak,' Downing added. 'I like Ollie Watkins, he's done really well. 'There were the links with Arsenal last year and it sounded like he wanted to go and Villa were probably happy for him to go. 'I don't know why that didn't get over the line because I actually thought if Arsenal get him, that's a good signing. The way they play, obviously runs the channels, he's getting in behind, gets a goal. More Trending 'If Newcastle can get him, then you're thinking, well, hang on a minute, it might not be so bad but I've got a feeling that they sell Isak and then the window shuts and they don't get anybody in. 'Newcastle have got to be strong. They've got to say to Isak, you're not leaving. Or if he leaves, we have to go out and get Watkins because we have to replace Isak. 'You don't know what goes on behind the scenes but I think if Isak goes, they must surely have a plan in place. Because if he doesn't, it will be a lot tougher without him.' Newcastle were without Isak for their Premier League opener against Aston Villa, which finished goalless. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Troy Deeney claims £65m star will keep Viktor Gyokeres out the Arsenal team MORE: Manchester United contact former star about transfer return after private 'tip-off' MORE: Chelsea respond to West Ham's £42m bid for midfielder after Arsenal approach
Telegraph
11 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Match of the Day returned in the most gentle of ways
Mark Chapman got in there right from the kick-off with, dare one say it, a Lineker-esque, self-deprecating, gentle quip. 'Evening. The Premier League is back, and Match of the Day is back. Now you may have seen and heard that there is a big change to the show this season and that is… Wayne Rooney has joined us as a regular pundit. Some things don't change though: Alan [Shearer] is still here.' And with this sensible five-iron off the tee, the new triumvirate Match of the Day era began. Rooney was given centre stage straight away to deliver a segment of analysis about Sunderland ripping apart West Ham's defence; it was alright if a little halting. Early days. He and Shearer didn't particularly interact with each other throughout the show, it felt like Chapman had to guide and encourage one of them at a time. Something more cohesive and free-flowing might develop. Rooney seems like a good bloke, a shy person with a sense of humour. Nothing in his managerial CV speaks to any sort of tactical or analytical genius so maybe his BBC handlers can find a way to utilise him in a way other than 'errrrm, the full-back's gone wide here' etc? His unusual playing status of being a legitimate Premier League great who nevertheless did not quite squeeze everything he could have from his talent makes him a more human and relatable figure than many others of his elite level. I'd like to hear from him about the mental and emotional side of playing in the Premier League: the most natural and interesting section on Saturday night's programme was when Rooney and Shearer gave their opinion on the Alexander Isak situation. There was an interview with Rooney after Match of the Day, and they've also got him doing a podcast series with Kelly Somers. 'Blimey, you're taking over,' joked Chapman. Wazza is reportedly getting £800,000 a year from the BBC so you'd hope they can get value one way or the other. As for the new Match of the Day, at the end of the day, Gary, it was what it always should have been: a football highlights show with a skilled, unobtrusive host getting some chit-chat about the key moments from a couple of ex-players who hopefully occasionally say something mildly interesting. The issues with Lineker had never been about his warm, gracious TV presenting, which was never controversial or provocative. It wasn't like he was introducing the football dressed as Che Guevara or saying 'Micah, never mind about that offside: do you think Zelensky should cede territory in the Donbas?' It was on social media, not the box, that all the problems lay, and given that Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan are all far too prudent to get involved in that nonsense, you'd imagine this should be smooth sailing with no further posturing nor self-inflicted wounds. Cates, for instance, had told Telegraph Sport: 'There's a tendency to believe that if somebody isn't talking about something, they don't care about it. I think it's perfectly possible to care about something and keep quiet and let experts talk about it.' How refreshing. So we can predict with confidence that Cates and Logan will follow suit with Chapman and slot in with unshowy excellence. Which isn't to say that there have been no changes: the Match of the Day 2 Sunday show has now been rebranded to simply Match of the Day. Gabby has first use of the facilities for that one this Sunday. Caring about that minuscule piece of reframing really does seem a bridge too far for even the most committed telly addict. Perhaps slightly more surprisingly, the BBC is now putting short Premier League highlights up on its website at 8pm on Saturdays: a whistle-stop seven minutes with all the day's goals and key moments. You might reasonably wonder if the BBC is cannibalising its own product by scooping MOTD by two and a half hours, but then again, BBC Sport could rightly argue that anyone who wants to have seen the goals will have watched them clipped up on social media nearly live anyway. There's not many Likely Lads around these days. In terms of any new editorial direction for Chapman and company, BBC Chairman Samit Shah has said that MOTD 'should not be built around highlights. It should be built around analysis'. Apparently Shah is a Manchester United fan, so you can understand why he might not want to see too much on-field action at the moment. And only a top media executive could argue for less televised football on a football TV show but that's why they – or rather, you – pay him the big bucks I guess. Chapman, pointing to wins for Manchester City and Liverpool, signed off by saying: 'I suppose you could say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.' Indeed so. It'll probably all be fine and with the new presenters, both the BBC and the viewers are in safe hands.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Match of the Day viewers give verdict on first show of new era as Wayne Rooney is criticised by fans after his first show as a regular following £800,000 deal
Match of the Day viewers have had their say on the show's big changes - but not all of them were impressed with Wayne Rooney 's shaky debut. Mark Chapman presented the first edition of the new-look BBC highlights programme on Saturday night and will share the hot seat with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan. Rooney, 39, was snapped up as an expert panellist for the new campaign after his most recent management job at Plymouth ended in his sacking last December. The experienced Chapman had stepped in to host Match of the Day when Lineker was not available and also regularly fronted the Sunday show, Match of the Day 2. He was joined by Rooney and MOTD veteran Alan Shearer on Saturday night to begin the new era of the flagship programme, but viewers were underwhelmed. Rooney, who signed a bumper £800,000 deal with the BBC and was pictured in good spirits arriving at the studio, was the target of particular criticism. BBC veteran Chapman will share the hot seat with Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates One X user said: 'I'm going to say this now as it will be said all season; I mean no offence to him personally, but having Wayne Rooney on MOTD is a big mistake.' Another was underwhelmed with the standard of the post-match discussions, adding: 'Rooney's punditry makes me nostalgic for the mute button. 'Great player, dreadful analysis.' Chapman, viewed as a safe pair of hands to begin the transition away from Gary Lineker's lengthy era, was largely praised after his first appearance of the season. 'My goodness, what an upgrade in presenter,' one viewer said. 'Mark Chapman is the best in the business.' However, not everyone was on board with the show sticking to its usual format. 'Rather than an exciting new #MOTD format, much as I like Mark Chapman, this just looks like a Sunday night,' one X user posted. Lineker departed the BBC at the end of last season and had presented the show since 1999 Another simply said: 'Not the same without Lineker.' Chapman began the show with a cheeky joke at Rooney's expense. During the opening segment, he alluded to the changes on the panel, but instead of speaking about Lineker's departure, he referenced the addition of Rooney. Chapman said: 'Evening. The Premier League is back and Match of the Day is back. You may have seen and heard that there is a big change to the show this season and that is Wayne Rooney has joined us as a regular pundit. 'Some things don't change, though. Alan [Shearer] is still here.' Lineker presented his final show at the end of last season. Despite planning to front the BBC's live coverage of the FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup, he departed early after sharing a post about Zionism featuring a depiction of a rat, which has anti-semitic connotations. The 63-year-old, the BBC's highest-paid presenter on £1.35million a year and host of Match of the Day since 1999, apologised but said it was 'best for all concerned' if he left completely.
