Former Man United goalie David De Gea linked to Newcastle

David De Gea is “open to” a move to Newcastle United to replace Nick Pope, who will be out for five months. 

ESPN is now reporting that the former Manchester United goalkeeper “is open” to joining Newcastle United. The Spaniard has been without a club since the Red Devils chose not to renew his contract at the end of the 2022/23 Premier League season. .  
 
This news comes following the devastating dislocated shoulder injury Newcastle number one Nick Pope suffered against Manchester United over the weekend. Pope reportedly could miss up to five months, which practically rules him out for the rest of the season.  

De Gea “open to” joining Newcastle

ESPN’s report that David De Gea is open to joining Newcastle is the first solid news relating to the Spanish goalkeeper that has been reported since the close of the transfer window back in September.  
 
Some outlets claimed he was willing to rejoin Manchester United to compete for the number one shirt under Erik ten Hag. However, it now seems these reports were nothing more than just Red Devils’ fans longing for De Gea to return following a string of bad performances from Andre Onana.  
 
He was once linked to the Real Madrid goalkeeper job after Thibaut Courtois’ injury. That job went to Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga. He also reportedly turned down moves to Saudi Arabian clubs.  
 
De Gea has moved out of Manchester, but is still open to playing in England if the right job is available to him.  

Pope suffers serious injury 

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope suffered a dislocated shoulder against Manchester United. It is still early, but early reports say Pope could be out for up to five months. Pope landed awkwardly after attempting to make a diving save.  
 
Eddie Howe spoke after that match saying that “it will be a massive blow if Nick is ruled out for any length of time.” The Newcastle manager seemingly knew it would be bad from an instant. “Nick was in distress. He was in pain. We’ll get a specialist opinion but it doesn’t look good,” said Howe. 
 
It has now been announced that Pope will undergo surgery this week to fix his dislocated shoulder.

Newcastle other goalkeeping options 

Newcastle are still competing in four competitions this season. The Magpies are hoping to go far in all of them. Not having Pope could be a major dent to their chances.  
 
The betting sites still have Newcastle as one of the favourites to qualify for Europe through the league, but their chances in the Champions League and other cup competitions are definitely dented without Nick Pope.  

The January transfer window is just around the corner, so it would not be surprising to see them go after a new number one goalkeeper. David De Gea is just one of the many names they are linked to.  
 
Yassine Bounou, former Sevilla goalkeeper, is another name recently linked to Newcastle. Bounou now plays for Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.  

Until the January transfer window, Newcastle will have to get by with Martin Dúbravka. The Slovakian goalkeeper was Newcastle’s number one before they signed Pope from Burnley in 2022.