Barcelona could battle it out with Newcastle United for the services of 33-year-old former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.
According to a report by SPORT, Barcelona are interested in the services of David de Gea and they could rival Newcastle United in the pursuit of his signatures. The 33-year-old has been a free agent since parting ways with Manchester United last summer and he is on the radar of quite a few clubs from Europe as well as Saudi Arabia.
Barcelona’s number one Marc-André ter Stegen has been struggling with a back injury of late. He has missed the last few fixtures and was supposed to decide whether he wants surgery or not. If he opts for the surgery which he has done, the German international will have to miss two months of footballing actions.
The Catalan giants’ idea is that they will ask Inaki Pena to cover for the absence of the 31-year-old. But, they are also keeping a close eye on the market situation in case things don’t go according to their plan. While Xavi is quite confident in Pena’s abilities, the Spanish manager wants to have his options ready in case he needs to make a move.
Newcastle United target David de Gea is one of the names on Barcelona’s radar. The Magpies recently suffered a huge blow as their number-one shot-stopper Nick Pope picked up a shoulder injury. He is all set to be out for months. While they do have sufficient backup keepers in their ranks, Eddie Howe is still keen on reinforcement and De Gea is a priority target for him.
The 33-year-old parted ways with United in the summer after his contract ran out. He was part of the Manchester-based club for over a decade. De Gea was one of the mainstays of the team over the years but things were not really that great in the recent past. The Red Devils wanted him to take a pay cut on a new deal but the player refused and left as a free agent.
The Spanish international has since been on the lookout for a new club and he could end up joining Newcastle or Barcelona in the near future. While both clubs are keen on him as he is available for free, his lofty wage demands could end up being a hurdle.
