Newcastle United are reportingly weighing up a move for free agent David de Gea, with current goalkeeper Nick Pope facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Pope came off during Saturday’s win over Manchester United with a shoulder injury, and concerningly for the Magpies, his most-likely next step is to undergo surgery.
Pope had been a mainstay in Eddie Howe’s starting XI, playing in every Premier League game this season before going down against the Red Devils. The 31-year-old immediately signalled to the bench to indicate a problem with his shoulder, and he needed to be helped off the pitch.
Concerningly for Newcastle, Pope suffered a dislocated shoulder during his time at Burnley and spent five months out of the game between 2018 and 2019. The England international is facing another lengthy lay-off this time around, with Howe believed to be braced for his starting stopper to go under the knife ahead of further check-ups this week.
According to The Daily Mail, bringing in De Gea is one of the options under consideration by senior figures at St James’ Park.
The Spaniard has been a free agent since leaving Man Utd at the end of last season. He was due to sign a new contract at Old Trafford before the club pulled the plug on his proposed deal and offered him significantly reduced wages instead.
De Gea has been heavily linked to clubs in the Saudi Pro League ever since, but the 33-year-old remains on the market while waiting for his next opportunity to arise.
Having previously banked a reported £375,000 per week while at United, De Gea would need to accept a hefty wage reduction to join up with Newcastle. The former Spain international won a Premier League, a Europa League and three domestic cups during his time with the Red Devils.
De Gea also racked up well over 500 appearances for the club before being replaced by Andre Onana. Howe’s current back-up options at St James’ Park comprise former United loanee Martin Dubravka and ex-Liverpool flop Loris Karius.
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