Fiorentina have made a decision on former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea's future less than 12 months after signing the Spaniard.
Man Utd chose not to renew De Gea's contract in the summer of 2023 and he joined Fiorentina after more than a year without a club.
Fiorentina are sitting just outside the European qualification places in the Serie A table and De Gea has enjoyed a solid season between the posts.
The 34-year-old has kept 10 clean sheets from 31 appearances in all competitions and has kept La Viola in the hunt to win this season's UEFA Conference League, as well as being in the hunt for the European spots in Serie A.
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And with his contract due to expire in the summer, Fiorentina have now made the decision to "activate the option to extend David De Gea's contract" for a second season, according to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano,
34-year-old De Gea faced criticism for a series of mistakes at Man Utd but was widely regarded as a fan favourite at Old Trafford, where he played more than 400 Premier League matches between 2011 and 2023.
United fans aren't surprised that he's been a positive addition for Fiorentina, and even a contract extension won't do much to quieten speculation about a return to England.
With Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana struggling to get fans onside as the goalkeeper in one of United's worst teams of the Premier League era, news of De Gea's imminent Fiorentina deal has ignited comparisons between the two.
"We all know he is better than Onana," posted one user on X, formerly Twitter.
"We let him down and it came back to us. Karma!" wrote another.
"De Gea's quietly cooking in Florence," read one review. "No drama, no headlines, just saves. From free agent doubts to Fiorentina's wall till 2026."
The former Spain international has been ever-present for La Viola in Serie A this season and has made more saves above expected, based on the likelihood of the shots he's faced to result in a goal, than in any season since 2017/18.
Onana's performance against that metric is also positive but has declined slightly since last season and the perception of errors inevitably leads to fans comparing him with a goalkeeper Man Utd chose to let go.
"The man has been a beast in goal this season," posted another X user about De Gea. "No wonder they want him to stick around."
Fiorentina exercising their option doesn't necessarily rule out a Man Utd return but it does mean United would have to dip into their transfer budget to get him.
De Gea might choose to repay Fiorentina's faith after a year out of the game regardless.
Topics: Manchester United, David De Gea, Andre Onana, Fiorentina, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours
Chris Nee