West Ham United have reportedly “sounded out” free-agent David De Gea about a possible move to the London Stadium in the upcoming January transfer window.
According to Football Transfers, West Ham United are considering the prospect of bringing David de Gea back to the Premier League. The former Manchester United goalkeeper is currently weighing up his options in his native Spain, but the Hammers have made fresh contact with his representatives about an 18-month contract in the January transfer window.
De Gea is still without a club since being released by Manchester United in July. Despite winning the Golden Glove award in the 2022–23 Premier League season, there were no takers for the Spanish shot-stopper in European football as he headed into the ongoing season without a club to represent.
Things could have been very different for De Gea, though. Although he was reaching the end of his £375,000-a-week contract this summer, the four-time player of the season looked set to extend his 12-year stay at Old Trafford after agreeing to a significant wage reduction.
However, in a hotly debated turn of events, United retracted their initial offer and entered another round of negotiations, this time failing to reach an agreement with the player.
Manager Erik ten Hag decided to sign a new No. 1 goalkeeper in Andre Onana, shelling out £47 million on the Inter Milan star, but his decision is now being heavily scrutinised after the latter’s nightmarish start to life at Old Trafford.
At 32 years old, De Gea still has several years left and is likely to seek a move back to his home country, Spain. However, the London Stadium has surprisingly emerged as a possible destination for the Spaniard, with David Moyes’ side willing to offer an 18-month deal to land his services in January.
The Irons’ interest in De Gea stems from the fact that they could be about to lose both of their senior goalkeepers in the coming transfer window.
Lukasz Fabianski, whose contract was automatically extended until 2024 after certain conditions were fulfilled last season, has proven to be an incredible servant to the club but wants out after losing his No. 1 place at the London Stadium.
The 38-year-old has been restricted to only three appearances in the Europa League and the EFL Cup as Moyes’ has favoured Alphonse Areola ahead of him in the league this season. And the Pole is said to be unwilling to sit on the bench for long after his performance against Freiburg in the Europa League proved he still has a lot to offer.
The problem for West Ham is that Areola has been enticed by a big offer from an unnamed club in Saudi Arabia and could push for a move away as early as the upcoming winter transfer window.
With more than 400 Premier League outings for Manchester United under his belt, De Gea has the experience and the quality to make an immediate impact. While De Gea’s distribution and decision-making with the ball at his feet are subpar, he is still a world-class shot-stopper and can keep you in games almost single-handedly at times.
The modern game has somewhat exposed his frailties, but David Moyes’ counter-attacking style of play will suit him perfectly given most of the build-phase responsibilities are handed to centre-backs.
