Manchester United have a battle on their hands to fend off interest from Real Madrid next summer in an effort to keep hold of their Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea. According to recent reports, the Red Devils are preparing a move for AS Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker if their Spanish keeper ends up leaving the club at the end of the season. It is also believed that Chelsea will join in on the race for Alisson’s signature if they fail to keep hold of their keeper Thibaut Courtois with Los Blancos ready to swoop in for the Belgian’s services as well.
However, Liverpool are currently leading the chase with Jurgen Klopp on the lookout to find a quality goalkeeper next summer after both Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius has failed to live up to the expectations at the Merseyside club during this campaign.
United keeper De Gea has just 18 months left on his current contract at Old Trafford with United chiefs eagerly wanting to extend his stay in the Premier League but in football, anything is possible. Hence, the Manchester outfit are preparing a contingency plan with Alisson being lined up as a replacement if the Spaniard ends up parting ways with the Red Devils.
Manchester United are currently sitting in second place in the Premier League table with a tally of 59 points in 28 league matches. In any other campaign, Jose Mourinho’s side would be well in contention of winning the league but the record-breaking form of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City has seen them fall behind in the race for the league title. The Citizens of Manchester are leading the Premier League by a staggering 13 points with the Red Devils desperately trying to play catch up with their ‘noisy neighbours’.
The departure of De Gea could leave a huge void which could be filled with the addition of Alisson. The Brazilian goalkeeper has made 33 appearances for AS Roma this term, conceding only 29 goals while keeping 14 clean sheets across all competitions. When compared to De Gea, the Spaniard comes out on top with 19 clean sheets to his name in 34 matches for Manchester United this season, while conceding just 23 goals in all competitions.
Both goalkeepers are in top form in their respective leagues and United will do well to replace De Gea with the Brazilian keeper. Alisson is also just 25 and has his peak years ahead of him which any of his potential suitors could look to utilise in the coming years. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the AS Roma keeper and whether he ends up making a switch to the Premier League next summer.
