Man Utd star predictably emerges on Everton radar; De Gea speculation could destroy Dyche plan | OneFootball

Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton

Everton are reportedly interested in signing veteran Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton, as they look to bring in a replacement for Asmir Begovic.

The 37-year-old has found minutes hard to come by since arriving at Old Trafford in 2021. Now, Sean Dyche is eyeing up a reunion with the shot-stopper, who he managed during his time at Burnley.

However, due to the ongoing speculation regarding the future of David de Gea, Erik ten Hag is reluctant to let him leave Man Utd, at least for now.

Indeed, as reported by Football365, De Gea has until the end of the day to sign a new contract with the Red Devils. Otherwise, he will become a free agent.

The Spaniard was reportedly offered an extension at the end of last season, albeit on significantly reduced terms.

This was no real shock, though, given his current weekly salary is £375,000 – the highest of any keeper in the world. But, he reluctantly accepted the reduced contract.

However, Man Utd have since retracted that contract and offered a different one – on even further reduced terms. Which, understandably, has infuriated De Gea. He even went so far as to post a yawn emoji on Twitter. Yikes.

The Red Devils are ‘close’ to securing a replacement, though.

with his agent set to meet with the Man Utd hierarchy imminently.

But, until De Gea’s future is decided, Ten Hag is unwilling to part ways with Heaton, which comes as a blow to Everton.

According to Football Insider, Dyche has identified Heaton as a potential backup option for Jordan Pickford, who, ironically, has also been linked with Man Utd in the past few weeks.

This comes after Begovic departed the club after his contract expired earlier this month.

Heaton has just one year remaining on his contract and isn’t expected to be expensive. This works for Everton, as their finances are still in a turbulent state at the moment.

Interestingly, though, they aren’t the only Premier League team interested in signing the former England international.

Indeed, Luton Town also have Heaton on their radar. Therefore, Everton face competition for his signature. Before either can have any chance of signing him though, Man Utd need to sort out the De Gea situation.

If the Spaniard does leave, Everton and Luton may have to wait until Onana becomes a Man Utd player, before they make their move for the former Burnley man.