Newcastle
Breaking! Saudi Interest In Ex-Man Utd Star Confirmed After Newcastle Bid As Chelsea Boss Reveals ‘Tough’ Call
Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is reportedly set to announce his next club just under a year after he was linked with a move to Newcastle United.
The 45-times capped Spain international has been without a club since he left Old Trafford when his contract came to an end during the summer of 2023. The Magpies were linked with a move for De Gea midway through last season when a serious shoulder injury suffered against the Spaniard’s old club forced Nick Pope to miss the vast majority of the remainder of the season.
However, there were suggestions De Gea’s sizeable wage demands – which were said to be around £350,000-a-week – meant the deal failed to come to fruition and current Magpies stopper Martin Dubravka was handed the responsibility of deputising for Pope throughout the final five months of the season. Surprisingly, De Gea is still without a club despite being the subject of reported interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, Italy and the United States. Real Betis have also been linked with a move for the 33-year-old over the last 12 months but have also reportedly been put off by his wage demands.
Chelsea boss explains ‘sad’ defender decision
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is already facing some difficult calls ahead of his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The former Leicester City boss was named as successor to Mauricio Pochettino earlier this summer and will hope to build on what was a positive end to last season as the Argentine manager led Chelsea into European competition after a challenging season on a number of fronts. Maresca has already been active in the transfer market as he prepares his squad and the Blues have recently travelled to the United States to step up their preparations for the new campaign.
However, Maresca opted against named academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah in his squad to head over the Atlantic and has given opportunities to young prospect Josh Acheampong and former Newcastle United transfer target Tosin Adarabiyo.
Explaining the decision, the former Foxes boss said: “First of all, from my point of view, it’s always sad to leave players out, that can be out of a pre-season, or can be out of the squad or out of the first eleven because in the end they all work for the same target, that is to be part of the same team. The Trevoh situation for me is quite clear, we have Axel (Disasi) there, we have Tosin (Adarabioyo) there, we have Wes (Fofana]) who in these two weeks has worked very good and is finally back, we have some very young profiles like Josh Acheampong who is doing fantastic. It’s a sad decision but we have to take the decision.”
