Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea may reportedly be close to joining a new club at long last, having been a free agent ever since leaving Old Trafford at the end of his contract last summer.
The experienced Spanish shot-stopper was a world class performer for many years at Man Utd, though his final couple of seasons were not his best, and it seems he’s struggled to find any suitors since then, despite being such a big name.
Still, De Gea’s wait to return to football may finally be over as Estadio Deportivo report that Real Betis are interested in signing the 33-year-old.
The report suggests Betis had an interest in De Gea when he first left United, but his wage demands were too high at that time, whereas after this long out of the game it seems he would now be prepared to accept lower pay.
De Gea may no longer be the player he was at the peak of his powers, but someone of his quality and experience is surely good enough to make some kind of impact at Betis, even if only as a relatively short-term addition.
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It will be interesting to see if the former MUFC ‘keeper can still enjoy something of a renaissance towards the end of his career.
We’ve seen top goalkeepers play on until their late 30s or even their early 40s, so it would be a bit of a surprise if De Gea were already to be coming towards retirement, though some fans could be forgiven for thinking that was what had happened after his disappearance in the last few months.
Andre Onana replaced De Gea at United last summer and, in truth, has not looked like being anywhere near as good as De Gea was for much of his time in Manchester.