Manchester United might have to rip up transfer plans with David de Gea gamble

It shouldn’t really end like this, but it’s beginning to look increasingly likely that David de Gea’s 12-year association with Manchester United will come to an end in the next two weeks.

Rather than the send-off a player with 545 appearances - putting him seventh on the all-time list - deserves, De Gea’s time at United could be signed off with a club statement and a few social media tributes.

The 32-year-old’s contract expires on June 30 and the chances of an extension being agreed have plummeted in recent weeks. Talks have continued to take place but there has been no firm offer for the Spaniard.

For much of this season it had looked like a formality that United and De Gea would come to an agreement to extend his stay, albeit on a salary much reduced from his current package of £375,000-a-week. De Gea spent most of the season saying in interviews that it was going to happen.

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But the mood music has changed in recent weeks. The player has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and Erik ten Hag’s doubts over an extension have grown.

It’s been clear since the second week of the season that De Gea isn’t a natural fit for Ten Hag’s United. His distribution error at Brentford was a stark reminder of his shortcomings. There was a poor display with his feet against Real Betis and then again in the defeat to Sevilla in April.

What he lacks with his passing, he has usually made up for with shot-stopping. Ten Hag’s defence of De Gea this season has centred on this fact and the idea that a goalkeeper’s job is, fundamentally, to keep the ball out of the net.

Errors have again crept into his game, however. It looks increasingly likely that De