Transfer Centre

Real Madrid priced out of David de Gea move?

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 31 March 2017

A report claims that Manchester United will refuse to sell David de Gea to Real Madrid unless the Spanish giants come up with a bid of £66m.

Real Madrid will reportedly be asked to pay in the region of £66m if they want to sign Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

It had been claimed that De Gea, who signed a new four-year contract at Old Trafford in 2015, had a release clause of £52m in his current deal, which Real Madrid were considering activating at the end of the season.

However, according to the Daily Mail, there is no such clause in the Spaniard's contract, and Man United will demand more than double the £33m world-record fee for a goalkeeper - held by Gianluigi Buffon - in order to sell their number one.

De Gea, 26, joined Man United from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011, developing into one of the best goalkeepers in European football during his time in the Premier League.

The 20-time Spain international came close to joining Real Madrid in August 2015 in a deal that would have seen Keylor Navas move in the opposite direction, but a faulty fax machine stopped the transfer going through.

De Gea was crowned Man United's Player of the Year for a third consecutive season in May 2016.