Fabrizio Romano Reveals if Man Utd Tried to Sign David De Gea Amid Onana Exit

Manchester United did not entertain the possibility of offering Fiorentina star David De Gea a route back to Old Trafford during the summer transfer window even though head coach Ruben Amorim has been having goalkeeping problems in the early stages of the season, GIVEMESPORT senior reporter Fabrizio Romano has revealed in his latest newsletter.

Andre Onana completed a loan switch to Turkish side Trabzonspor earlier this week, with the Super Lig outfit covering the entirety of his pay package, after he failed to convince key decision-makers that he deserved to be the Red Devils’ first-choice option between the sticks and fell behind Altay Bayindir in the pecking order.

Red Devils Did Not Entertain Move for De Gea

After signing Senne Lammens in an £18.2million deal from Royal Antwerp in the final days of the summer transfer window, Romano has confirmed that Manchester United did not seriously contemplate re-signing De Gea. When asked whether a return was ever on the cards, the Italian journalist wrote in this morning’s GMS newsletter:

De Gea, who was described as ‘outstanding’ by former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, brought his 12-year Old Trafford career to a close when he left as a free agent in the summer of 2023 and eventually embarked on a fresh challenge by agreeing terms with Serie A giants Fiorentina.

The Spanish goalkeeper is on a contract which allows him to pocket in the region of £115,000-per-week when bonuses are triggered at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, while the agreement is not due to expire until June 2028 after he penned an extended deal in May, meaning the Red Devils would have had to part with a fee for his services.

De Gea still has an affinity with the Manchester United fanbase and, after heading back to his former employers for a pre-season encounter with Fiorentina during the summer, he described Old Trafford as ‘my house’ and admitted it was an ‘unforgettable’ experience to feature in familiar surroundings.

There were suggestions during the summer that Manchester United discovered there was a clause in the 34-year-old’s contract which would have allowed him to leave for a nominal fee, but Romano has confirmed that he was not on their radar as a possible recruit when Amorim was seeking a new shot-stopper before last week’s deadline.

All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – correct as of 12/09/2025

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