David de Gea is at last nearing a return to football more than a year after his contract at Manchester United expired and he left the club as a free agent.
At 33, De Gea is by no means old for a goalkeeper, but his departure from United after 11 seasons left him without a team.
The Spaniard wasn’t short of offers last summer but resisted the lure of the Saudi Pro League in the hope of landing a competitive project in Europe.
It turned into a whole season out of the professional game, one in which De Gea used the time to rest, engage in hobbies and outside business interests, as well as keeping himself fit and tuned with personal training regimes at the home of local non-league club Altrincham.
Now, he is set to make a decision that will launch him back into his bread and butter of the 20 years between his arrival at Atletico Madrid’s door in 2003 and his United departure.
The hourglass emoji that De Gea posted on X last Saturday sent social media users wild. It was viewed ten million times, liked 87,000 times and reposted/quoted 7,000 times.
According to The Athletic, his return to football can now be considered close, with an offer each from Saudi Arabia, the United States and Italy.
“Next week” is the given timeframe for an expected update as a final decision is made. But there are no proposals from his native Spain, while De Gea appears to have ruled out playing for any club in England other than United.
De Gea had stayed living in his home in Manchester’s wealthy affluent suburbs upon leaving United for “tax reasons”.
Even after relocating to Spain, where wife Edurne is popstar and TV personality, he was back in the north west of England for his training sessions at Altrincham.
It is even claimed that he would return to Old Trafford if the circumstances were different.
If it is to be United States and Major League Soccer, it is said that De Gea would prefer the west coast. But, above all, he is seeking a club and city that will provide him and his family “stability”.
What we know
- David de Gea on course to return to professional football soon
- Goalkeeper without a club since Man Utd contract expired in 2023
- Three offers on the table from three clubs on three continents.