Cristiano Ronaldo failing to persuade David de Gea to join Al Nassr

  • David de Gea still a free agent after leaving Man Utd at end of contract
  • Bayern Munich and Real Madrid decided against offering deal to goalkeeper despite interest
  • Spaniard keen to remain in Europe and is resisting chance to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

De Gea wants to stay in Europe
De Gea wants to stay in Europe / David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
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David de Gea could retire from football if he does not receive an appropriate offer to return to the game, while he is continuing to withstand approaches from the Saudi Pro League, sources have confirmed to 90min.

The Spaniard remains without a club after leaving Manchester United at the end of his contract back in June. He had agreed terms over a new deal, but the Red Devils withdrew their initial offer and failed to finalise a fresh contract.

90min reported over the summer that Bayern Munich and Real Madrid discussed moves for De Gea, though neither made an offer to the goalkeeper in the end.

Despite interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League and Qatari Stars League, 90min understands that De Gea would prefer to stay in Europe and he has made that clear to interested parties from the Middle East.

Former Man Utd teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has been trying to convince De Gea to join him at Al Nassr, but the goalkeeper is not relenting on his current stance.

De Gea is keen to play Champions League football again and is willing to wait until the January transfer window opens to decide on his next move.

However, should he not receive the 'right offer', sources have told 90min that De Gea would consider retirement.


David De Gea
De Gea could retire from football / Will Palmer/Allstar/GettyImages

De Gea, who turns 33 in November, has spent his entire career to this point with only two clubs - Atletico Madrid and then Man Utd. He has not played for the Spain national team since 2020 and was left out of their squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

His successor at Man Utd, Andre Onana, has endured a rocky start to life at Old Trafford, most recently conceding a soft goal during their 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

During his final season at Man Utd, De Gea was criticised for his insufficiency at playing from the back and with his feet - a facet in which Onana excels.


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