Manchester United Transfer News: David De Gea Tipped to Sack Agent, Top Rumours

The work done by Jorge Mendes has made him the choice representative for plenty of the world’s finest footballers, but Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea could be set to part ways with the agent if a move to Real Madrid fails to materialise this summer.

That’s according to El Confidencial (h/t Louis Sealey of Metro), who report that Mendes was signed by De Gea three years ago when news of Real’s interest materialised and that he’s “desperate” for a move to go ahead this summer. It’s noted that if the goalkeeper remains at Old Trafford beyond this window, the agent could be sacked.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/Getty Images

Carlos Carpio of Marca claims Real remain confident of getting their man, but United are reluctant to sell below their valuation of €40 million. De Gea has just one year remaining on his Red Devils deal, meaning he could theoretically join Los Blancos for free next summer.

United boss Louis van Gaal has left the Spanish international out of the United squad for the first two games of the Premier League season. As we can see here, per Squawka Football, in recent matches the Red Devils haven’t really missed the goalkeeper too much:

De Gea may be desperate for a move, but for him to take any frustrations out on Mendes would be peculiar. After all, it seems as though every party involved is happy for this deal to go through, but Los Blancos are reluctant to meet the valuation. With that in mind, it is United’s prerogative to not sell if they don’t want to.

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However, losing out on a substantial transfer fee would be far from ideal for United, especially as they’ll need to draft in a replacement. Sam Pilger of FourFourTwo thinks it’s in the club’s interests to expedite this drawn-out saga:

Should a deal for De Gea be done in the coming days, United will have time to isolate a replacement and integrate him into the squad. Even if Real don’t quite meet the asking price, a big offer would surely be enough to trigger a transfer, allowing the Red Devils to cash in on a superb but unsettled player and move forward.

Fernando Muslera Price Named

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One player who has been touted as a possible replacement for De Gea at United is Fernando Muslera, but Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek has told the Red Devils they’ll have to spend massive amounts to land the Uruguay international.

“€25 million is not enough and €35 million is not enough,” he said to AMK, per turkish-football.com (h/t Sean Kearns of Metro). “We want him to stay until the end of the season but if we receive a higher offer we could consider.”

Kearns notes in his piece that the reported price the Red Devils would have to pay is £34.5 million for the 29-year-old. Here’s a look at what he could potentially offer:

There’s no denying Muslera is a very talented goalkeeper. He’s sharp in the penalty area, fast off his line and a superb shot-stopper. As we can see here courtesy of OptaCan, the Galatasaray star has been in exceptional form for his club, too:

"

540 - @Chahechouhe92's goal was the first that Fernando Muslera have conceded in nine hours of football with Galatasaray in all comps. Human

— OptaCan (@OptaCan) August 15, 2015"

But there are still rough edges in his game, which mean a potential transfer fee of £34.5 million is extremely excessive. Muslera is susceptible to lapses in concentration, and his command of the penalty area is a little shoddy in comparison to a player like De Gea.

Van Gaal will accept finding someone to replace the Spanish international will be virtually impossible and the Uruguayan is someone who deserves a crack at an elite level side. The money involved is too excessive for a goalkeeper of his calibre, though, and United could certainly find better value elsewhere if they’re willing to part with that kind of money.