Longtime Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea (33) is being linked with a move to the United States to play alongside Lionel Messi (36, Inter Miami).
The Sun, a British publication, reported on Monday (Aug. 19) that De Gea could make the move to the U.S. professional ranks.
De Gea is currently unemployed.
The former Atletico Madrid player joined United in the 2011-2012 season and quickly became a regular starter. In 12 seasons in goal, he won one Premier League title, one UEFA Europa League title, and two EFL Cups.
He became a free agent in June. With his contract up for renewal, De Gea is looking for his next move.
De Gea won a Golden Glove last season after keeping 17 clean sheets in the English Premier League (EPL). With United manager Louis van Gaal (53) leading the way and preferring a younger, more promising goalkeeper than De Gea, De Gea could be forced to part ways with the club and seek employment elsewhere.
It’s not that he wasn’t wanted. Al Nasr of the Saudi Arabian league have been active in their pursuit of De Gea, but he has repeatedly rejected offers, saying that money is not his top priority when it comes to continuing his career.
What he wants is a big-name club where he can be the first-choice goalkeeper. He still wants to play on the big stage.
“De Gea, who turns 33 in November, wants to play for a club that can compete in major tournaments,” The Guardian recently reported.
If no club offers him what he wants, De Gea is reportedly considering retirement.
“De Gea is considering retirement if he doesn’t receive an offer from a top club to become their ‘number one’ goalkeeper,” another British publication, the Daily Express, reported.
The U.S. professional soccer Major League Soccer (MLS), where Messi plays, has been mentioned as a possible destination for De Gea.
“De Gea, who rejected an offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr, is being linked to Inter Miami, the MLS club where Messi, a rival of ‘former teammate’ Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr), plays,” said The Sun.