After missing out on signing him last summer, Real Madrid are close to making another offer for the Manchester United goalkeeper when the transfer window opens in July, according to reports from Spain.
De Gea is reported to have been wanting a move back to his hometown Madrid for more than a year now, with Real Madrid tipped as the favourite to sign him. A deadline day fiasco resulted in the Spanish keeper staying back at Manchester United though, and also signing a new contract with the Red Devils.
However, reputed Spanish journalist Guillem Balague believes that the Los Blancos will try to sign the Manchester United keeper again, this summer.
“The plan is Real Madrid are thinking about paying the money for De Gea – they are thinking about that,” Balague said on Sky Sports. “There are still a lot of question marks, but I think that deal still may happen. I think De Gea will be considering going to Madrid.
De Gea not rebelling against Van Gaal
Recent reports suggested that De Gea is looking forward to staying at Manchester United if the club sign Jose Mourinho as their manager. However, the situation might be quite different if they decide to stick with current boss Louis van Gaal. According to The Telegraph, De Gea will not stay at Manchester United if Van Gaal is not sacked.
However, Balague disagrees with these rumours, saying that the 25 year old goalkeeper is not someone who will rebel against his manager.
“It sounds so un-De Gea like, for a player to put a manager in that kind of position,” said Balague. “Of course it would be a way to force his [De Gea’s] way out for sure. But De Gea would not do that.
“When he didn’t manage to go to Madrid, he put his head down, didn’t complain, started working and in a few weeks became the No 1 again.”
Champions League action to influence De Gea?
While De Gea may or may not rebel against Louis van Gaal, the Spaniard’s decision to stay at Manchester United, or look for a move elsewhere (more specifically to Real Madrid) might be influenced by the fact that Manchester United have not been able to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The Red Devils were in the driving seat to get a top four berth with just two Premier League games to go, but they failed to capitalise on that opportunity, losing to West Ham. Their fifth placed finish means that they will get direct qualification into the Europa League group stage. However, top players like De Gea will obviously like to play in the Champions League, and a move to Real Madrid should not come as a surprise to anyone.
