Manchester United Transfer News: David de Gea Might Leave, Admits Jorge Mendes

David de Gea's agent has suggested the Spanish goalkeeper could leave Manchester United for Real Madrid.

Jorge Mendes, the man who helped bring Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria to Old Trafford during the summer, was recently asked whether his client will link up with the European champions.

He told Marca (h/t Simon Jones and Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail): "David is amazing, he's brilliant. He's a Man United player and has a contract there. You have to respect that but things change every five minutes."

Such a story made it onto the Daily Mail's Friday back page, as tweeted by Nick Sutton of BBC Radio 4:

This coverage arises after Spanish publication Fichajes (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) suggested the player had "agreed terms" with Madrid.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Mendes' comments suggest he is leaving all possibilities open. De Gea reportedly "wants to stay" at the Theatre of Dreams, per The Guardian's Nick Miller and Toby Moses, but with 18 months left on his contract, United need to act quickly.

Louis van Gaal can't allow the goalkeeper to enter the final season of his current deal without inking an extension. His alleged £50 million valuation, per Charles Perrin of the Express, would drop considerably if this happens. Even worse, he'd be available on a free in the summer of 2016, so there's no time for the Red Devils to waste.

Perrin suggests an offer is incoming: "Express Sport understands United will offer De Gea a lucrative £200,000-a-week, five-year contract to keep him at Old Trafford."

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Much of the recent talk surrounding United is focused on players they could bring in during the current transfer window. In truth, few signings would be as important as tying De Gea down. He has developed into a world-class goalkeeper, winning the team points in matches against Stoke, Everton and Liverpool this season (not to mention others).

United do have a ready-made replacement in Victor Valdes, but there's the sense the experienced stopper will never live up to his countryman. Supporters have watched De Gea develop and hush the doubters over the past few seasons, so he's been taken to many hearts at the club.

Van Gaal has plenty of money to spend already—United were recently outlined as the sport's second-richest club behind Los Blancos, per Sky Sports—so there's no overpowering urge to cash in. It's profitable to secure De Gea's future quickly, however, as speculation continues to lean toward him moving to the Bernabeu.