If out-of-contract goalkeeper David de Gea
refuses to sign an extension, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will need
to buy a new first-choice goalkeeper this summer.
If contract discussions with David de Gea fail,
Manchester United are exploring a move for Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
De Gea, 32, is a free agent after leaving
Manchester United at the end of the season. Negotiations for a new contract are
ongoing, but it is claimed that United want the Spanish goalkeeper to take a
hefty pay drop from £375,000 to roughly £200,000 per week.
United would seek elsewhere if De Gea does not
sign an extension. Sanchez, a Spain international who has slid down the pecking
order under Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and reportedly called De Gea as his
"role model," is one possible target.
Sanchez, 25, lost his starting spot to Jason
Steele last season and will face even more competition now that Bart Verbruggen
has arrived. The 20-year-old, who has been linked with Manchester United and
Liverpool, has completed a £16.3 million move from Anderlecht.
Reports has it that United are interested in signing Sanchez to replace De Gea if he leaves. The Brighton man is a terrific passer of the ball, something Erik ten Hag values, and numerous clubs are believed to be interested in signing him this summer.
United's biggest stumbling block will be
Sanchez's price tag. Brighton are reportedly seeking £30 million for Sanchez,
who has two years remaining on his contract. That's a lot of money for someone
who is now his present employer's third-choice stopper.
Sanchez was born in Spain but went to England
as a teenager to join the academy at Brighton. He had loan spells in the
English Football League with Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale before becoming
Brighton's first-choice goalkeeper in 2020/21.
Sanchez's outstanding achievements for the
Seagulls earned him a place in Spain's squads for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World
Cup.
He has two senior caps to his name. He appeared
in 90 appearances for Brighton before being released at the end of the season.
Andre Onana, who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax,
was United's top goalkeeper target. However, Inter Milan's £50 million asking
price was too much for the Red Devils. Frankfurt's Kevin Trapp and Feyenoord's
Justin Bijlow are two other alternatives.
Sanchez's most recent appearance for Brighton
came in an FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout loss to Manchester United in
April, which ended goalless after 120 minutes. At Wembley, he failed to save
any of United's seven penalties.
Sanchez acknowledged his adoration for De Gea in an interview with The Argus in 2017. "When I was young, it was [Iker] Casillas," he added. But De Gea is now my role model. He is the person I hope to be in five or six years. It will be challenging because that is at the top."