Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on David de Gea and Karim Benzema Rumours

Manchester United have yet another reason to finish this season in the top four and reach the Champions League, as David de Gea will reportedly be off to Real Madrid if the Red Devils fail to do so.

United's Spanish shot-stopper has long been mooted as a potential replacement for veteran Iker Casillas at the Bernabeu, per Marca.

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De Gea has yet to sign a new contract at Old Trafford—his current one expires in 2016—and reports in Spain suggest he will be on his way to Madrid if the Red Devils do not have Champions League football next season, per Alex Harris in the Daily Star.

Louis van Gaal's side are not currently looking likely contenders for the top four. They have just 13 points after 10 matches.

However, De Gea has been arguably their best player this season—and last season, too—and it is no surprise the European champions are eager to sign him up.

The 24-year-old started life awkwardly at Old Trafford but has progressed magnificently, per Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, and he would be a fantastic long-term buy for Real:

However, considering his importance to United, he will not be easy to bring to the Bernabeu even if the Red Devils don't reach the Champions League. After all, they will likely be prepared to offer De Gea a generous new contract.

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One player who is in for the long haul at the Bernabeu is Karim Benzema, but it wasn't always so. During the summer, there were constant rumours that he was not wanted at Madrid and would be sold, per Sid Lowe in The Guardian.

However, the Frenchman eventually signed a new contract tying him to the club until 2019, and Marca reports that Real president Florentino Perez was the man who guaranteed Benzema's future:

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During the weeks of Benzema's mediocre form, whenever anyone came up to the president to suggest that the player be axed and a new man brought in, his reply was always the same: "OK, no problem; tell me who is better". Any lingering doubts about the forward's future at the club came to an end when Florentino Perez renewed his contract until 2019.

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Benzema has certainly paid the club back for their faith, as he is currently in a fine vein of form. The 26-year-old has scored five and bagged five assists in the league in eight matches this season, per WhoScored.com.

In more good news for Madrid, he has also guaranteed that the best is yet to come, per AS:

Certainly Benzema still has many good years left in his career and the same can be said even more so of De Gea.

He is surely heading toward becoming the world's best goalkeeper and would be a perfect replacement for Casillas, who has shown the advantages to a team of long-term stability in between the posts.

De Gea could provide that for Real, and they should be prepared to fight tooth and nail to bring him in and hope United do them a favour by missing out on Champions League football.