Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has been embroiled in contract negotiations with the club for some time now, but one glaring reason has been revealed as to why the deal has not been completed just yet.
The shot stoppers current contract expires at the end of next season and everyone at United is keen to get a deal done before De Gea even has a possibility of leaving on a free.
The issue at hand? Wages.
United are willing to pay their first-choice keeper £350,000-a-week, nearly double his current £200,000-a-week salary to keep him at Old Trafford.
Yet the 28-year-olds management reportedly want an amount closer to a staggering £500,000-a-week. To put that into perspective Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo currently earn in the region of £500,000-a-week as the world's best and highest paid footballers and Neymar is the third highest paid player, reportedly on £435,000-a-week.
The demand for such a high wage is apparently an issue for the Red Devils.
De Gea and his team will feel that is a fair amount, the Spaniard has been excellent between the sticks during his tenure at United and has established himself amongst the best goalkeepers in the world.
They will also point towards Alexis Sanchez who currently earns roughly £400,00-a-week in what has been a rough time for him in Manchester, if he can earn that amount, surely De Gea is worth more?
Real Madrid are reported to be monitoring this situation closely. They signed former Chelsea 'keeper Thibaut Courtois last summer for £35m, but the Belgian has not settled in well at the Bernabeu.
De Gea has been a target for Los Blancos for a considerable time now and was close to returning to Madrid on transfer deadline day in 2015 but a faulty fax machine led to finger-pointing between the two clubs and the deal collapsed.
With Madrid lurking, United will want a long-term deal confirmed even more so, is De Gea worth £500,000-a-week, making him the world's third highest paid footballer? Let us know down below.
Words by George Buksmann
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