David de Gea’s contract negotiations have not yet resulted in a new deal for the goalkeeper, thus Manchester United has targeted Gregor Kobel of Borussia Dortmund as a potential replacement.
The 12-season contract of De Gea, who is also Man Utd’s co-longest-serving player, expires this summer, but the club wants to keep him at Old Trafford.
The 32-year-old Spaniard, who is one of only seven goalkeepers to have started more than 400 Premier League games, is yet to sign a new contract since the two parties have not been able to come to an agreement.
Man Utd also appears to be considering their alternatives in the case that they decide to part ways with De Gea, as Blick reports that the 13-time Premier League champions have ‘expressed an interest’ in signing Kobel.
Kobel, 25, has excelled for Dortmund this season. With nine games remaining, Dortmund leads arch-rivals Bayern Munich by a point heading into this Saturday’s Der Klassiker at the Allianz Arena.
The Swiss international made an early impact at Dortmund after moving there from Stuttgart two years ago; in his 18 league appearances for Edin Terzic’s team in 2022–2023, he has recorded eight clean sheets.
Man United optimistic about signing De Gea
Dortmund are reportedly asking for up to €50 million for Kobel, despite our Expected Transfer Value (xTV) model placing him at €27.4 million. At 6 feet 4 inches tall, Kobel would become one of the most expensive goalkeepers in history at that price.
On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that De Gea had rejected Man Utd’s initial contract offer, although the club is still hopeful of keeping him.
Erik ten Hag has stuck with De Gea despite his shortcomings as a ball-player, and De Gea has been a constant in the Premier League this season.
