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Manchester United will have to hand out the best player, David De Gea, a huge reward when he leads a big goalkeeping cleanup at Old Trafford in the summer.
De Gea, 30, will become a surplus of the requirements, as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer relies on Dean Henderson as his number one.
But Spain’s goalkeeper still has two years left on his £ 350,000-a-week contract, and the Reds must shell out a large chunk of that £ 36.4 million contract to get him off the salary bill.
United are currently spending a staggering £ 570,000 a week on five senior goalkeepers, and the club’s American owners want that down.
Henderson sealed a five-year deal worth £ 100,000 a week last summer.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Sergio Romero, 34, makes £ 70,000 a week, but was allowed to execute the final months of his contract in Argentina after an inexplicable decision was made to block a proposed move to Everton last year.
Lee Grant, 38, and Joel Pereira, 24, earn £ 30,000 a week and £ 20,000 a week respectively and will also become free agents at the end of the season.
Huddersfield is paying a percentage of Pereira’s salary after signing the former Portugal U21 star on loan.
Solving the De Gea riddle will be one of United’s top priorities.
They value it at £ 50 million, but it is likely to be prohibitively expensive after the pandemic.
He will also have to accept a large reduction in the salary agreement that makes him Old Trafford’s highest paid player. His rival Henderson, 24, received his new contract after an impressive season on loan at Sheffield United.
He had hoped to become Solskjaer’s first choice immediately, but has had to wait for his chance to shine in the Premier League after being used in European and national cup competitions.
When de Gea was given permission to return to Spain to be at the birth of her first child last month, Henderson stepped forward.
He kept successive clean sheets against Crystal Palace, Manchester City and West Ham.
Although he was blamed for the last-minute goal that helped AC Milan claim a Europa League draw at Old Trafford, he played a key role in the 1-0 victory at the San Siro in the second leg, as Solskjaer’s team reserved his place in the quarterfinals.
De Gea and the underdog Phil Jones are the only United team members to be part of the 2013 squad that clinched the club’s last Premier League title.
De Gea was signed by Atlético de Madrid for £ 18.9 million in 2011 and has won FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League medals for the Reds. He saw a deadline deal to take him to Real Madrid collapse in 2015 when paperwork on a £ 29 million transfer was not completed on time.
He was Spain’s number one at the time, but was on the bench for three World Cup qualifying matches last week when manager Luis Enrique chose Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon.
United were previously forced to dole out lucrative rewards, with forward Alexis Sánchez walking away with a £ 10 million deal last year.
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