Manchester United Transfer News: David De Gea 'Very Happy' Amid Real Madrid Talk

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has revealed he is "very happy" at United, despite fresh rumours linking him with Real Madrid, per AS (h/t Samuel Luckhurst for the Manchester Evening News).

De Gea almost joined Real at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, but the transfer collapsed at the last minute, supposedly due to a broken fax machine preventing the paperwork from being submitted in time. However, talk of the 26-year-old joining Los Merengues has persisted ever since. 

"Nobody knows the future," De Gea said, per Luckhurst. "The future is the future. I'm very happy at United, it's a great club."

De Gea's careful choice of words suggest he could still leave the club in the future. However, for the time being, fans will be pleased to hear he is enjoying playing for the club—even though their domestic campaign has not quite gone to plan.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

United are 14 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea and, despite being unbeaten in their last 15 league games, are in sixth place. Nevertheless, De Gea appeared optimistic about his team's chances of making this into a successful year for the club.

"We are already in the final of the League Cup and we are still fighting for the FA Cup and the Europa League to continue making history in this club," he said, per Luckhurst. "We have to give the team time to win the Premier League again."

News of his contentment in Manchester is a great relief to all who follow the club. De Gea has won United's Player of the Year award for three consecutive seasons, creating a new club record that indicates his value during their difficult post-Sir Alex Ferguson years. The Spaniard has already kept nine clean sheets in the Premier League this season, per WhoScored.com.

When pressed on Real's interest, De Gea refused to comment on speculation.

"Madrid? I will not talk about that," he said, per Luckhurst. "On that subject I will not talk any more. Now I must stay focused with my club."

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Focus is what manager Jose Mourinho will be after. A busy February for United includes their Europa League last-32 tie against AS Saint-Etienne, an FA Cup match at Blackburn Rovers and the League Cup final versus Southampton at Wembley Stadium. This is clearly not the time to be mulling over a summer transfer.

However, United may be powerless to prevent him moving to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. Thursday's edition of Marca claims that Real's interest in De Gea has been renewed after discovering a £55.6 million release clause in the Spaniard's contract, per Chris Davie for Metro.

Rumours linking the goalkeeper to Spain have been circulating for much of the past 18 months, perhaps making this new story difficult to take without a pinch of salt, as BBC Sport seemed to suggest on Twitter:

Regardless of the outcome next summer, De Gea will remain an integral part of the United squad for the rest of the campaign, which could yet be one in which multiple trophies are won.

After Thursday's interview with AS, one thing seems clear enough: De Gea is fully focused on making sure that 2016-17 is a good year, even if it is his last in England.