Even though the season may only have a few weeks remaining, Manchester United is yet to sign veteran goalkeeper David De Gea to a new contract. The seasoned Spaniard’s current agreement is set to expire this summer.

The 32-year-old, according to The Athletic, has recently rejected a club offer regarding a potential contract; nonetheless, it is anticipated that the former Atletico Madrid player will sign on the dotted line as soon as possible and accept a decrease in his reputed £375k-per-week wage.

Despite the likelihood that the 45-cap veteran will remain at Old Trafford past this season, it appears that Erik ten Hag is still considering long-term alternatives for the Red Devils’ starting goalkeeper, as there have been rumors that United is interested in Giorgi Mamardashvili of Valencia.

Tony Coton, the club’s senior goalkeeping scout, has reportedly made “repeated visits” to watch the 22-year-old in action this season, according to transfer insider Dean Jones’ story for GIVEMESPORT.

Despite various claims that the youngster – who is also drawing interest from both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – could be worth as much as €100m (£88m), due to a release clause in his current contract with the La Liga team, the report suggests that the 6 foot 6 colossus would be the ‘first-choice’ option to replace De Gea at present.

Would Man United be a good fit for Giorgi Mamardashvili?

Although Dean Henderson, a graduate of the Premier League’s top academy, is currently signed by the club, the aforementioned Jones stated that the 26-year-old “could be sold” this summer after failing to unseat De Gea as the club’s starting goalkeeper.

Following a contentious interview last summer, the England international slightly damaged his relationship with his parent club after deciding to join Nottingham Forest on loan for the current season.

The acquisition of Keylor Navas from Paris Saint-Germain in January has made the Whitehaven-born threat less of a top pick at the City Ground, and Henderson hasn’t exactly shown why he should replace De Gea at the Theatre of Dreams.

Given that Mamardashvili has recently excelled at the Mestalla and has been dubbed the “Georgian Batman,” according to talent scout Jacek Kulig, he may very well be the ideal successor to the former Spain international going forward.

Mamardashvili-Valencia-Man-United-Premier-League-De-Gea
Valencia is currently concerned about their future in La Liga, but the towering ace has done everything in his power to keep the team in the top division. This season, he has already made 79 league saves, which is more than De Gea has ever managed. (77).

While De Gea has appeared more rooted to his goal line, the younger player ranks in the top 18% of his European counterparts for average defensive action distance, or the average distance from goal of all defensive actions, while De Gea only ranks in the top 47%. The younger player also appears to be much more prepared to spring off his line in order to deny an opponent.

In addition, despite the struggles of his current team, Mamardashvili has actually allowed 32 fewer goals than the current United manager, and he has averaged more saves per game. (2.9 vs 2.7).

That should suggest that, despite the potential expense of luring the former Dinamo Tbilisi goalkeeper away from Spain, the promising young goalkeeper may very well represent the future of Man United’s goalkeeping ranks.