Manchester United are ready to move for England no.1 Jordan Pickford – whether David de Gea leaves or not.
Manager Erik ten Hag wants a high calibre goalkeeper signed this summer to either rival De Gea or replace him if he does not agree a new contract.
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talkSPORT understands that Pickford is the man at the top of United’s list and Everton may sell at around £30million.
The 29-year-old keeper was excellent as the Toffees avoided Premier League relegation but the Merseyside club needs money and manager Sean Dyche may be open to replacing him.
Pickford would jump at the chance of going to Old Trafford and playing in the Champions League, which is missing from his CV.
United have been doing deep dive checks on Pickford over the last few days as he emerges as the leading option.
De Gea, meanwhile, has an optional year on his contract which is set to expire this summer.
The Spaniard has won United’s Player of the Year award on four occasions since his 2011 signing from Atletico Madrid, but has endured a difficult campaign.
High profile mistakes in United’s first two games of the season against Brighton and Brentford saw Ten Hag abandon his philosophy of playing the ball out from the back, but he stuck with the lng serving no.1 through the January transfer window.
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However, more errors dogged De Gea’s season, and he came under particular scrutiny from Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher for his performance in the FA Cup final.
Despite that, the 32-year-old won the Premier League’s Golden Glove for the 2022/23 season, and will likely go down as a club legend even if he does leave this summer.