Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on David De Gea, Keylor Navas Rumours

The clock is ticking for Real Madrid in their pursuit of Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, with reports suggesting the future of Keylor Navas could hold up a potential deal.

That’s according to Spanish radio station Cadena SER (h/t AS), which claimed Navas, who has started Real’s two league games to date this season, does not want to make way for De Gea, which could complicate matters. Navas has decided not to jet off to Costa Rica for international duty until his future is sorted, said the report.

Those reports were amplified by Bleacher Report columnist and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, who claimed Los Blancos' ability to convince the Costa Rican to join United will be key to expediting a deal:

With Navas performing well, according to Marco Ruiz of AS, president Florentino Perez is the one driving the deal, not the manager. Those reports were given further context by ESPN's Miguel Delaney:

Navas has done superbly in the opening matches for Real, saving a penalty in the 5-0 win over Real Betis on Saturday. He has yet to concede a goal in either of Real’s two league games, and while he may not be to the same standard as De Gea, Navas will prove himself to be be a capable operator if he's given a run of games.

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In addition, as noted by sports journalist Rafael Hernandez, the Madridistas have taken to the former Levante stopper:

But that seems unlikely to halt Los Blancos in their pursuit of the Red Devils star. According to the Sun (h/t Jack Watts of the Daily Star), De Gea will jet off to Madrid on Monday in the hope a deal can be done as he gets set to join up with the Spanish squad. According sources in Spain, cited by Miguel Delaney of the Independent, the two clubs are close to agreeing a £29 million fee.

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United manager Louis van Gaal, who had previously been boisterous about the prospect of De Gea staying at Old Trafford, hinted the goalkeeper could be on his way in the aftermath of the club’s loss to Swansea City on Sunday.

“We have coped with the situation by buying Romero,” he said, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror. “That is what we have dome as a club to settle that issue. We have done it well. I don’t know if De Gea will stay. We will have to wait and see.”

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The saga has dragged on throughout the entirety of this transfer window, and with an 11:59 p.m. deadline on Monday night for Spanish sides to sign players, this deal looks set to come to a head soon.

Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday thinks losing De Gea at this late stage of the window would be a substantial blow for the Red Devils:

For Madrid, it would be a major boost, though. Granted, Navas has been immaculate so far and has proved himself as one of La Liga's best goalkeepers on a plethora of occasions. But De Gea, a Madrid-born footballer, is the natural long-term replacement for Iker Casillas, Real's departed legendary former skipper.

Given the hyperbole that has accompanied this transfer, it has been forgotten just how talented the United man really is. Getting him for the aforementioned fee of £29 million, even with less than a year remaining on his deal, would be tremendous business for Los Blancos, and it’s an acquisition, should it go through, that’ll ensure their goalkeeping situation is secure for potentially the next decade.