Real Madrid Transfer News: New Lucas Silva Bid Made, David De Gea Offer Planned

Real Madrid have been left disappointed after a second bid for the talents of Cruzeiro midfielder Lucas Silva was rejected, while Los Blancos are preparing to make David de Gea the most expensive goalkeeper in transfer history.

According to Alvaro de la Rosa of Spanish newspaper AS, Real's latest offer for Silva was worth in excess of €12 million, but still shy of the €15 million figure Cruzeiro are demanding to let him leave:

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Cruzeiro are adamant that the player will not be sold for anything less than 15 million euro and despite the second offer on the table being an improvement on the initial offer of 12 million euro, the Brazilian champions are unwavering in their position.

English side, Arsenal meanwhile have confirmed an offer of 15 million euro but Silva is holding out for an increased offer from Madrid as his preferred option. 

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De la Rosa goes on to state that Silva's father wishes to see him remain in Belo Horizonte until next summer, with the club attempting to convince their star to stay on.

Spanish newspaper Marca (h/t 101GreatGoals) reported last week that Arsenal had indeed agreed to meet the playmaker's asking price, adding that Cruzeiro had accepted:

Silva's reluctance to move to the Emirates Stadium is a sign of his intent and one that Ancelotti can admire, an indication of who the 21-year-old truly wishes to represent.

Real Madrid already brought in a central-midfield recruit last summer with the acquisition of Toni Kroos, but Silva would sit as a more defensively inclined asset.

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In terms of style, the Brazilian resembles Sami Khedira more closely, but with the German's contract set to expire in 2015 and no more news of an extension, Silva could come to fill what's soon to become a gap in the squad.

Iker Casillas could also see a replacement arrive if Real decide to continue their pursuit of De Gea, with Jamie Anderson of the Express writing that Ancelotti will pull out all the stops to lure Manchester United's No. 1.

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Anderson states that any deal taking De Gea to the Bernabeu would likely be for more than the £33 million that saw Gianluigi Buffon move to Juventus from Parma in 2001, the highest fee ever paid for a goalkeeper.

It's a clear sign of the stopper's improvements over recent years that his value could rise to beat that of a figure as respected as Italy's Buffon. Former Red Devil Gary Neville recently discussed De Gea's evolution:

The Red Devils hero was superb in helping United claim a 3-0 win over Liverpool last weekend, but manager Louis van Gaal remained quiet on the subject of his potential contract extension, per the Independent's James Orr: "That is between the club and the player and it is not open for discussion for the media."

Real Madrid signed Keylor Navas as backup to Iker Casillas over the summer, but confidence in the latter is falling following a series of errors in recent months.

Casillas' place in the Spanish national team isn't as secure as it once was and Ancelotti is eager to bring former Atletico Madrid starlet De Gea back to the Spanish capital in 2015.