Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on David de Gea, Isco Rumours
Real Madrid are reportedly talking to David de Gea's representatives regarding a summer transfer move, while Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal tried to dismiss any rumours of a sale on Saturday by stating he's confident the goalkeeper will sign a new contract soon.
According to the Mirror's John Cross and David McDonnell, Los Blancos are ready to pay £30 million for the Spain international, whose contract runs until the end of next season.
The 24-year-old is yet to commit to the Red Devils beyond that date, and with the club signing former Barcelona star Victor Valdes earlier this week, Bleacher Report's Ryan Bailey and Alex Dimond believe United may be preparing for his eventual departure:
Van Gaal denied any such notion, however, as reported by GianlucaDiMarzio.com's David Amoyal. Speaking ahead of his team's match against Southampton, he said: "I believe he'll extend and I don't expect any problems. In the past six months, De Gea has improved a lot, I'm very happy."
A January move seems highly unlikely, but if the star stopper still hasn't signed a new deal by the end of the season, a summer move may become a real possibility. Iker Casillas' career is slowly coming to an end, and replacing him with Spain's new No. 1 would be almost poetic.
De Gea is widely expected to return to Madrid one day, but whether that will be in 2015 remains a question mark. The star stopper is yet to comment on the latest rumours but has always openly professed his love for United and the chances they gave him.
But if he was so keen on staying in Manchester for the foreseeable future, he would have already signed a long-term deal. According to Manu Sainz, who writes for Madrid-based AS, the 24-year-old "yearns" for Spain:
"The goalkeeper believes that his time at Manchester United has now been completed and he yearns for Spain and La Liga (despite conflicting reports that have emerged in the last few hours about his contract renewal). In fact, whenever he can he takes some time to come to Spain, as he did this week to enjoy a few days of rest that he had been given by Van Gaal. Those inside the English club know De Gea’s intentions.
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That claim seems like a massive overstatement, but the rumours were further fuelled when a link between United and Newcastle United's Tim Krul surfaced, per Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst:
This transfer saga is likely to drag in the coming months until De Gea either signs his new deal or makes it clear he wants the move to Real. Until either happens, expect to see many more reports and rumours emerge.
Arsene Wenger has ruled out a move for star midfielder Isco during the January transfer window, as shared by Marca in English:
The Express' Ben Jefferson reported earlier this week the Gunners were preparing a £64 million offer for the Spain international—a deal that would set a new British transfer record.
The claims were met with caution, as Arsenal aren't known for splashing the cash in January and hardly lack creative midfielders of their own. As explained by Bleacher Report's Ryan Bailey and Janusz Michallik, the team has other, more pressing needs:
Isco has emerged as one of Real's most consistent players during the 2014-15 campaign, filling in for the injured Gareth Bale and doing the same after Luka Modric went down.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti likely wouldn't wish to sell his young star, but a fee as massive as £64 million would perhaps be too good to pass up. As shared by Arsenal Weekly's Claude Wu, that works in both ways, however:
The Gunners simply can't afford to drop that kind of money on a single player—particularly given the fact they have clear needs on the defensive side of the ball and are desperate for a holding midfielder.
More interested clubs will no doubt express an interest in a transfer for Isco if he keeps up his good form, but a January transfer seems highly unlikely.
