21 July 2023 , 10:29
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David de Gea has turned down the chance to replace Andre Onana at Inter Milan.
Ironically, Onana has succeeded De Gea as Erik ten Hag's first-choice goalkeeper after completing a £47.2million transfer to Manchester United. The Cameroon international, 27, has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford, with the option of a further 12 months.
It's believed Inter have responded to Onana's exit by making De Gea an offer, but the Spaniard wants to return to his homeland. The 32-year-old hasn't played in LaLiga since completing a transfer from Atletico Madrid to United 12 years ago.
Inter are now looking at signing Shakhtar Donetsk's Anatoliy Trubin and Bayern Munich's Yann Sommer after De Gea's snub. It's unclear whether any LaLiga sides are interested in signing the former United star, who won last season's Premier League Golden Glove.
As reported by the Daily Record, De Gea wants to be paid €10million (£8.7m) per year after tax, around £167,000-a-week. Inter's offer was €5m (£4.3m), around £83,000-a-week. He was United's top earner, taking home around £375,000-a-week before tax.
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If De Gea wants to continue earning the big bucks, a move to Saudi Arabia might be preferable. Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Cristiano Ronaldo are among those to have signed for Saudi clubs, with more top stars expected to follow in due course.
It's believed Atletico are interested in re-signing De Gea after putting their first-choice goalkeeper Jan Oblak on the transfer list. Yet it remains to be seen whether anyone is keen on signing the Slovenia international, 30, who's made 392 appearances for Atletico.
De Gea announced his United exit earlier this month. He wrote on social media: "I just wanted to send this farewell message to all Manchester United supporters. I would like to express my unwavering gratitude and appreciation for the love from the last 12 years.
David de Gea is yet to decide his next club (Getty Images)Who do you think David de Gea will sign for? Let us know in the comments below!
"We’ve achieved a lot since... I didn’t think from leaving Madrid as a young boy we would achieve what we did together. Now, it’s the right time to undertake a new challenge, to push myself again in new surroundings. Manchester will always be in my heart."
De Gea achieved significant success during his time at Old Trafford. He won eight trophies, including the Premier League title, and was named United's Player of the Year four times. No player in the club's history has won that award more times.
Onana is hoping to replicate De Gea's success between the sticks. United's new goalkeeper played under Ten Hag during their time together at Ajax. They won six trophies, including three Eredivisie titles.
"To join Manchester United is an incredible honour and I have worked hard all my life to get to this moment, overcoming many obstacles along the way," said Onana.
"Walking out at Old Trafford to defend our goal and contribute to the team will be another amazing experience. This is the start of a new journey for me, with new teammates, and new ambitions to fight for... I can’t wait to play my part in the success."