Skip to main content

Manchester United no longer need to worry about Real Madrid trying to snatch star goalkeeper David de Gea after the European champions signed Thibaut Courtois during the summer, but the latest gossip is that Juventus are starting to take serious interest in the Spaniard instead.

With De Gea still yet to sign a new contract at Old Trafford, despite rumours towards the end of last season that a bumper deal was agreed in principle, the longest United can keep him without fresh terms being signed is 2020 - even that requires an extension clause to be triggered.

chelsea-fc-v-manchester-united-premier-league-5bd2b97023006ad3fe000001.jpg

A report from The Sun claims that Juventus are keen and that De Gea himself is personally aware of the growing interest from the Turin club.

Whether he intends to explore that interest remains to be seen, but it has been suggested in recent weeks that United's poor form has made him hesitant to commit his future to the club.

The anonymous source quoted by The Sun is absolutely certain that the Spain number one will be playing his club football in Italy before too long.

chelsea-fc-v-manchester-united-premier-league-5bd2ba2227750fc8c7000001.jpg

"De Gea played against his future club on Tuesday," they said, referring to the Champions League clash between the club at Old Trafford this week. "Juve are experts in intelligent deals. If United don't sell him in the summer, Juventus will wait until the end of his contract."

For a player of such world renowned ability, De Gea has won relatively few trophies during his career to date. United have struggled to be competitive throughout most of his seven years in England, with one Premier League, an FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League his only honours.

Juventus offer a far greater chance of winning silverware, having been crowned Italian champions in each of the last seven seasons and completed domestic doubles in the last four. They have also played in two Champions League finals since 2015 and are favourites to win it.

uefa-champions-league-valencia-fc-v-juventus-fc-5bd2ba7323006a7975000001.jpg

Wojciech Szczesny has so far been tasked with replacing club legend Gianluigi Buffon, but as good as the Polish stopper has become since trading Arsenal for Italy in 2015, De Gea would be an upgrade as Juve look to extend their domestic dominance to an international scale.

De Gea has never been unhappy at United and crucially never tried to force a move throughout the multi-year Real Madrid saga. But as he nears his prime, United will have to do more to convince him to stay, and that must immediately start with better results on the pitch.