The will he-won’t he saga surrounding Spanish stopper David De Gea regarding a move to Real Madrid is about as complicated as it can get.
Seemingly always on the verge of leaving, the Spanish star is not likely to play against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League opener.
However, it is not the first time this summer that the Manchester United ‘keeper has been reported to be completing a move to the La Liga giants. The move, of course, makes sense following the sale of Los Blancos icon Iker Casillas to FC Porto, and De Gea’s own excellent form last year.
Florentino Perez would love wrap up a deal for the shot-stopper, with him likely to be Spain’s Number 1 for many years to come. He is the natural replacement for Casillas, and is a ‘Galactico’ in waiting it seems.
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However, the Red Devils and their notoriously hard-nosed boss Louis van Gaal have been playing hard-ball so far. Their refusal to part with the La Roja star, unless Sergio Ramos is exchanged is admirable. Rarely, these days, do we see a club stand up to their players demands. To his credit, De Gea has not made public his wishes to leave, though it has been heavily reported.
With his contract running down, it would make logical business sense to shift the Spaniard. Perhaps this is more a matter of principle. United do not wish to sell to a Champions League rival, unless they receive a world-class defender in return. Whether he leaves for free next year, it is ultimately his decision – not the club’s.
It is not often we see a club force a player to honour their contract at the club, after being so heavily linked with a move away. Perez is infamous for prizing players away, into his clutch at the Bernabeu, but Red Devils boss van Gaal seems to have other ideas.
“He will not leave us easily,” declared the Dutchman following the final game of last season. Whether forcing him to stay, only to lose him for nothing next year is sound financial planning or not – it is a welcome tale of player power being crushed.
De Gea’s girlfriend’s desire to move back to Spain has been cited as one of the biggest reasons in his quest to move back to his homeland. The Glazer family do not pay his girlfriend’s wages – they pay his. It seems no one at Old Trafford will be held to ransom by the wishes of others – simply their own.
Even if De Gea departs, they are likely to receive an inflated fee for a player who wants to leave, with just a year left on his deal. Ideally, Sergio Ramos would have sweetened the deal for the Manchester side, but that particular deal looks dead in the water.
Whether you agree with their no-nonsense stance or not, United’s approach to this deal is refreshing. For a club whose own performance in the transfer market over recent years has been quite frankly laughable, they seem to be bucking a trend.
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