Real Madrid Don't Need to Rush in Chase of Manchester United's David de Gea

Watching Manchester United's actions from afar this month, there's certainly a sense that a rush is on at Old Trafford to protect the club's interests from the advances of Real Madrid over goalkeeper David de Gea. 

First, former Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes was signed—and quickly described as a definitive "number two goalkeeper" by Louis van Gaal, per BBC Sport— in a move that looked like, as David McDonnell of the Mirror described, an insurance policy for United. 

Now, the latest development, according to McDonnell's report (it has also been reported by Simon Rice of The Independent and Jamie Sanderson of Metro, who were citing Italian media outlet SportMediaset.it) is that United are set to make De Gea the joint highest-paid goalkeeper in the Premier League, with a £140,000-a-week deal that would tie the Spaniard to Old Trafford until 2020. United "are also said to be ready to insert a release clause of £45 million in the proposed new deal."

If there's truth to the reports, then that rush is definitely on. And for United, it's understandable given the extraordinary development seen in the Spanish shot-stopper in the last 12 months. 

Yet for Real Madrid, there needn't be—and doesn't appear to be—any sort of hurry in their chase of De Gea. Time is on Real's side. 

Clint Hughes/Associated Press

Earlier in the week, The Telegraph's Mark Ogden reported that Los Blancos were prepared to wait until the expiry of De Gea's current contract in June 2016 in the hope of landing the gloveman on a free transfer. But while the other aforementioned reports might have squashed that possibility for President Florentino Perez and Co., it needn't change their timeline.  

If Real Madrid want the Manchester United star in the summer of 2016, the resources are there to make it happen. A new contract changes little for Los Blancos other than the fee the club must produce for his services. 

Why? The club has done it before. 

You only need to consider these three recent examples:

• When James Rodriguez was lured to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2014 for £63 million, he still had four years left to run on his five-year deal with Monaco that had been signed after a £38.5 million transfer in May 2013. 
• When Gareth Bale was brought to the Spanish capital the previous year for £85.3 million, he still had three years left to run on his four-year deal at Tottenham that he signed in 2012. 
• On six months prior to Isco's arrival for £23 million in the same summer as Bale, the Spanish playmaker had signed a three-year extension to his deal at Malaga. 

For Real Madrid, existing long-term contracts aren't exactly stumbling blocks. They just inflate the price. And has the price ever stopped Perez?

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It's also reasonable to conclude that any deal for De Gea earlier than the summer of 2016 would cause unwelcome distractions at the Bernabeu. 

Currently enjoying a quiet renaissance in the Real Madrid goal, Iker Casillas' position as the club's primary keeper is as strong as it's been in a number of years. Though there may have been a small collection of shaky moments throughout the campaign (it must be remembered that most of his high-profile errors have come while playing for Spain, not Real Madrid), a strong run of early-season form was followed up by a quintessentially Casillas night at Almeria in December. 

Bringing in another direct competitor, and one who's also a local Madrid product, certainly wouldn't benefit Casillas' ongoing emergence from what he described as a "bad spell" and a period in which he felt "isolated."

Additionally, what message would a sudden signing of De Gea send to Keylor Navas, the club's £8 million summer acquisition who has seen just six starts after truly superb spells with Levante and Costa Rica? What message would it send to any other keeper with aspirations of representing Real? Your career stalls here unless you're a marquee signing?

Casillas has openly admitted his desire to play in the United States in the future. Set to turn 34 this year, that might not be far away for the Real Madrid icon.

Replacing him—not forcing him out the door—might be the more comfortable and less tumultuous route to take.   

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

And if it means the possible signature of De Gea is landed in 2016 or 2017 instead of 2015, what does it matter? The former Atletico Madrid keeper is just 24. For a gloveman, he's still in the infancy of his career. De Gea, barring injury, still has a decade or more left in the game. 

Based on what we've seen in 2014-15, that decade could be a fine one. 

If Real Madrid, with the club's vast resources, pulling power and ability to force through deals, enjoys the majority of that decade, it's a victory in itself. 

There's no need to rush.