MANCHESTER UNITED are ready to go to £250,000-a-week to keep David de Gea at Old Trafford.
But the club are already looking at Leeds’ French star Illan Meslier as his long-term replacement.
The Red Devils will try to get Spanish No 1 De Gea, 32, to extend his stay and are working towards a compromise figure.
They are prepared to keep his pay high — but not at £375,000-a-week as it stands.
United also want to line up the keeper who will eventually take over.
Dean Henderson returns from his loan at Nottingham Forest in the summer but is set to be sold to get the first-team action he wants.
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United are willing to wait until there is a starting place to offer Meslier.
The complication will be if Leeds go down and Meslier is sold.
United would then have to move swiftly to stop him going elsewhere.
Leeds dropped into the bottom three on Saturday with a 1-0 away loss at Everton.
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Meslier was caught flat-footed by a Seamus Coleman strike from a tight angle.
The Frenchman could only watch as the shot nestled into the corner of the net at the back post.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk