Real Madrid Must Break the Bank to Sign David de Gea from Manchester United

Victor Valdes' arrival at Manchester United, as confirmed by BBC Sport’s Simon Stone, does not precipitate David de Gea moving to Real Madrid, but it does give the English side a cushion when the European champions inevitably come calling.

De Gea's performances have been among the best in Europe this season, and United certainly don't want to see him head back to Spain.

However, they must also be aware it is an increasing possibility that he will one day end up back in Madrid; he arrived at Old Trafford from Atletico in 2011.

He has just 18 months left on his current deal, and United are keen to tie him down to an extension, per Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail; but they may have left it too late:

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United chief executive Ed Woodward and De Gea’s agent Jorge Mendes plan to move the matter of the player’s contract forward this month in the hope he will agree to stay.

De Gea has not closed his mind to a move back to Spain but he and his parents, who remain influential, are not actively looking to leave Manchester and recently declared themselves happy and settled in the North West.

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Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Ariel Schalit/Associated Press

If new terms are not struck by the summer, Madrid will surely test United's resolve.

With just a year to run, in theory, before De Gea could walk away for free, Louis van Gaal's side would have to reluctantly consider any offer upwards of £25 million.

It's not what United fans want to hear, as they've been indebted to the Spanish keeper on several occasions this season, but the lure of Real Madrid or Barcelona often eclipses the experience of playing for one of the Premier League's biggest clubs.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who shares an agent with De Gea, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez, are all testament to that in recent seasons.

Madrid need a new goalkeeper as well.

Iker Casillas is owed tremendous amounts of respect this season for the mental strength he has shown.

After being cast out by Jose Mourinho two years ago, he has fought back to establish himself as the No. 1 under Carlo Ancelotti, eventually seeing off the challenge of Diego Lopez and currently seating Keylor Navas on the bench.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Matilde Campodonico/Associated Press

But while his performances have been solid, there have been occasional lapses of concentration, and Madrid would certainly be strengthened by the addition of De Gea.

Casillas will be 34 at the end of the season, and his best years are certainly behind him—although he still has time left at the top, just maybe not at Madrid's level—and while Navas is a good goalkeeper, he's better suited to a more modest club.

De Gea is young, and there are only two goalkeepers in the world who are definitively better than him at the moment: Manuel Neuer and Thibaut Courtois.

Behind those two, there is a collection of very good keepers, such as Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris, and De Gea is very much a part of that group.

On top of that, he is Spanish and, sooner than later, will become Vicente del Bosque's first choice in the national team—he's near enough the perfect signing for Real Madrid in the goalkeeping department.

If no new contract is agreed by June—and maybe even if one is—Real Madrid and Florentino Perez would be well advised to throw all the money they can at United in an attempt to secure the man who can keep goal at the Bernabeu for the next decade.