Manchester United to Allow De Gea Join Real Madrid, Reports

Team Manager Louis Van Gaal’s admission that the club is already looking for the keeper’s replacement is seen as a clear indication that the club is preparing for life after the Spanish keeper.

Saturday’s front page of Marca, a Spanish sports daily newspaper, declared De Gea the “chosen one”, claiming that personal terms had been agreed between him and Real Madrid, though admitting that the difficult part would be negotiations with Manchester United.

De Gea was signed by Manchester United from Atletico Madrid for GBP18.3 million in June 2011.

Discussions between the player, his agent and Manchester United to have him renew his stay have so far yielded no fruits, with Real Madrid hot in pursuit of the 24-year-old.

De Gea’s current contract with United ends at the end of next season and he has reportedly resisted a 200,000-a-week long-term deal offered to him by the Red Devils.

Reports indicate that United are chasing the signature of out-of-favour Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech as De Gea’s replacement, though he will have to battle it out with the club’s current second choice keeper Victor Valdes for a first team position in Van Gaal’s squad.

By Benjamin Wafula