Jose Mourinho not confident of David de Gea stay

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has admitted that he is not confident of David de Gea extending his contract with the club. The Spain international has been with the Red Devils for the past seven-and-a-half seasons and during his period, he has transformed into one of the world’smost sought after goalkeepers.

As a result, there has been regular speculation regarding his future at Old Trafford and speaking to Sky Sports News, Mourinho has acknowledged that the club are still far off from extending his current deal, he said: “I am not confident. I cannot find the word in English, but let’s see what happens. Only the club, David and his people can answer that. My comment is only that everyone knows how good he is, how important he is for Manchester United and, if the club want to be better than it is and not worse, obviously it would be very important to keep David.”

De Gea’s present contract with United is due to expire at the end of the season but the club are expected to exercise an extension clause, which would prolong his stay until the summer of 2020. Nonetheless, there remain concerns regarding the lack of progress in terms of contract talks and the same appears likely to prolong with Spaniard yet to agree on a suitable wage package.

At present, there have been reports indicating that De Gea wants a £350,000-a-week salary, which would put him on par with the club’s highest earners in Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez, but the club’s hierarchy appear to be reluctant to match the wage demands. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are both said to be monitoring the proceedings of the Spain international and they could lodge respective bids next summer, should the shot-stopper continue with the recent contract standoff.