European media outlet The Athletic reports that former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is in talks and close to joining Serie A side Genoa on a free transfer.
The Spanish star joined Manchester United from Atlético Madrid in 2011 and made 545 appearances for the Red Devils in 12 years, breaking Peter Schmeichel’s record for clean sheets and becoming the club’s all-time appearance leader among goalkeepers. His last appearance came over 400 days ago, when Manchester United lost to Manchester City in the 2023 FA Cup final. During his time at United, De Gea won five major trophies, including the league title in 2013, the FA Cup in 2016 and the Europa League in 2017.
Last summer, De Gea failed to agree a new contract with Manchester United and left the Red Devils. He remained without a club for a year, initially enjoying his break and even considering retirement, but after four months he started to miss football. He then trained at his local club, Altrincham, and also kept fit by playing cricket. This summer he received many invitations, including from teams in Saudi Arabia, Major League Soccer and Italy.
A few days ago, he posted an “hourglass emoji” on social media, indicating that his return was imminent. At the time, British media believed that De Gea was not inclined to go to Saudi Arabia, his preference was to play in Spain, and he would choose between Italy and the US West Coast. Currently, he has not received an invitation from any La Liga club and is more inclined to choose Genoa in Serie A. Negotiations are ongoing.
If De Gea joins Genoa, his first official match after over 400 days could be a big one: the Serie A opener against reigning champions Inter Milan on August 18.
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