Previously, Man United was said to be in a deal with Gianluigi Donnarumma, but all information has not been verified. The PSG star is even closer to a contract with Man City.
Alan Trump revealed that David De Gea currently has a special clause in his contract with Fiorentina, allowing him to leave the Serie A team for a very small fee. This immediately caught the attention of Man United's board, as they still have certain concerns about the goalkeeper position.
Currently, Man United's goalkeeper position is in crisis. Andre Onana was left out of the squad for the Arsenal game despite the Cameroonian's recovery from injury.
Onana's replacement, Altay Bayindir, had another match to forget when he was the one who made mistakes, leading to Man United's only goal. The Turkish goalkeeper has also played in a few late-season and pre-season games this season, but the solidity has yet to be shown by Bayindir.
In fact, the Red Devils' leadership has always wanted to buy an additional goalkeeper since the start of the 2025 summer transfer window. They have been linked with Aston Villa about the case of Emi Martinez, the "Red Devils" want to loan the World Cup champions within a year.
However, the Villa Park side have refused when they just wanted to sell the Argentine for £40 million. M.U did not accept this deal because the amount was too high for the 32-year-old goalkeeper.
Along with Martinez, Donnarumma is also on the transfer list for Man United. The Italian goalkeeper will leave PSG in the next few days, after the two sides had disagreements on extending his contract.
The French team has publicly put the 26-year-old star up for sale for £26 million, a figure considered a surprise for a high-class goalkeeper like Donnarumma. However, the biggest obstacle to this deal was the high salary (about £250,000/week). In addition, Man United also have to compete with Man City, the team that is said to have directly contacted the EURO 2020 champion.
In the context that the "Red Devils" are having to consider the salary situation, the possibility of De Gea reuniting depends somewhat on whether one of the two names Andre Onana or Altay Bayindir leaves the team or not. If one of these two goalkeepers leaves, Man United will have more financial space to pave the way for the return of the former goalkeeper.
However, the source also stressed that a completely harmonious solution could be found if the fee to recruit De Gea was reasonable. At the age of 34, the Spanish goalkeeper no longer focuses on being the absolute number one choice. He is willing to accept a fair competitive role or even a reserve. This is a big plus for the Old Trafford team if they want to reunite with their old fans.
For "Red Devils" fans, the prospect of De Gea's return will bring many memories back. During his 12 years at Man United (2011-2023), De Gea has not only been a reliable blocker, he has also been the best player of the team for many consecutive seasons, winning the title of " Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year" 4 times. If the deal takes place, this return will be both symbolic and give Ruben Amorim more choices in the goal.
Information related to De Gea all reflect Man United's cautious but flexible strategy. In goal, considering bringing De Gea back not only helps to consolidate the depth of the squad but also has a spiritual meaning.
More importantly, these moves show that Man United are drawing experience from previous transfer windows. Instead of pinning eggs into a basket, they have proactively expanded their target lists and found suitable alternatives. That could help the club avoid falling into a passive position when a deal goes wrong.
