Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on David De Gea, Charlie Austin Rumours

Manchester United and David De Gea are set to agree a new contract imminently, according to reports.

The goalkeeper has less than one year remaining on his current deal with the Red Devils, meaning he could feasibly leave the club for free next summer. But El Confidencial (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) claim that De Gea will sign an extension very soon as he looks to take his place back in the Manchester United team.

As noted in Sanderson’s piece, De Gea seemed set to move to Real Madrid this summer, but a proposed last-minute transfer could not be completed in time. Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has ruled out the prospect of a midseason move for the Spain international too, per Cadena Cope (h/t Pete Jenson of the MailOnline):

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No definitely not [considering a January signing]. We are not contemplating that he comes next year. 

He is there and we have three very good goalkeepers. We have not told him not to sign (a new deal). He has to do what is best for his career. It’s very difficult that he does nothing for a year. When people say: “wait for a year and then he comes free” that has never happened with any big player.

"

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Should De Gea pen a new deal with the Red Devils, it would be a significant boost to their cause. The Spaniard remains one of the best goalkeepers in world football, despite his recent omission from the United team by manager Louis van Gaal. 

Sam Pilger of FourFourTwo thinks that while this would be a blow to United, Real have shot themselves in the foot given the casual manner in which they approached the transfer:

If De Gea does commit his future to the Red Devils, it’s unlikely the speculation about a move to the Santiago Bernabeu will go away. But it’ll put United in a much stronger position when it comes to negotiating any potential sale. Perhaps the club will even convince the Spanish international to stay beyond this season.

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It would also assist all concerned to draw a line in the sand and move forward. De Gea needs that clarity of mind as he prepares for next summer’s European Championships, and the Red Devils will be the major beneficiaries of a world-class player with renewed focus and determination.

Charlie Austin Deal Never Close

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Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin has revealed that, despite reports linking him with a move to Manchester United, a deal was never near getting done.

“No,” said Austin when asked if he was aware of any interest from United on The Sports Bar on talkSPORT. “That was never on the cards. Not from what I'm aware of.”

According to Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard, the Red Devils “sounded out” Austin about a possible move to Old Trafford on the final day of the summer transfer window. It’s noted in the piece that if a team had met QPR’s £15 million valuation, then he would have been sold.

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With United in desperate need of a centre-forward at the time, Bleacher Report’s Rob Blanchette claimed Austin would have been a solid goalscoring option:

Indeed, there’s no denying Austin has great goalscoring instincts. In the 2014-15 season, he scored 18 goals in total and has already started life well in the Championship with four goals in five appearances, per WhoScored.com. The prospect of him linking up Wayne Rooney is something that plenty would have enjoyed seeing.

But it’s rare to see a Van Gaal side play with two orthodox forwards. As good as Austin is at sticking the ball away, he’s not a player who would have usurped Rooney at the point of the attack, nor does he have the technical ability or dynamism to lead the line on his own for a team with ambitions as lofty as United’s.