Real to test United’s resolve with RM345m offer for De Gea
LONDON: Real Madrid will make another push to sign Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea next summer.
Spanish outlet Cadena SER suggest Real are willing to pay £63 million (RM345 million) to bring De Gea back to Spain ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
The 27-year-old has been linked with a move back to the Spanish capital during the past few seasons after his transfer to Real broke down in August 2015.
De Gea looked set to leave Old Trafford over two years ago but the clubs failed to submit the required paperwork before Fifa’s strict transfer deadline.
Current Real No 1 Keylor Navas was scheduled to move in the opposite direction until the deal broke down at the 11th hour.
De Gea’s contract is due to expire in June 2019 but the Red Devils have the option to extend his deal by a further year.
Jose Mourinho may choose to cash in on the highly-rated stopper in order to strengthen other areas of his team.
The Portuguese tactician has a long-standing interest in winger Gareth Bale and is keen on working with centre-back Raphael Varane again.
De Gea has been in exceptional form once again this season — keeping eight clean sheets in 12 Premier League games this season.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford says United are on the path to becoming relentless winners under Mourinho and wants Old Trafford to become an unbreachable fortress once again.
Mourinho oversaw a disappointing sixth-place finish in his first season at Old Trafford but followed Louis van Gaal’s FA Cup triumph with Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield glory.
United striker Rashford, 20, is hungry for more, counting every trophy while trying to enjoy a whirlwind rise that started less than 21 months ago.
“There’s so many different incidents that can easily pass you by and you forget about,” the 20year-old told Britain’s Press Association.
“As an example, as soon as you win a trophy, in my mind straightaway you’re thinking about winning the next trophy. That’s when you can miss the moment of enjoying winning that trophy. It’s difficult.
“We went through that second year and won three trophies in the year, so we were winning things and winning things and it became normal for us.
“That’s what United has always been about, so it is important for us to try and get that feeling back to Old Trafford of winning.”
Rashford said the fear factor was coming back to Old Trafford but the current team – second in the Premier League behind Manchester City – still had a long way to go to match the success of Alex Ferguson’s relentless winning machine.
“I think that’s still there,” Rashford said. “But teams are coming to have a go and we want to get rid of that.
“We want to make it the fortress that it was before. I think we’re on a path back to doing that. We’ve got the right manager, we’ve have the right staff, so it’s just about producing now on the field.” Agencies