David De Gea, the best goal keeper in the Premier League last season, wants to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid according to Goal.com.
The move has long been suspected. De Gea was born in Madrid, and even though he came up through the ranks of local rival Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid has long been seen as a more attractive landing spot for him. Real’s current keepers also failed to impress this past year, with Keylor Navas voicing his frustrations with playing time, and the continuing steady decline of Iker Casillas. The stage was set for a new keeper to come in and secure the starting job, and now De Gea is set to do just that.
In joining Real Madrid, De Gea is turning down the opportunity to become the highest paid keeper in the world. Manchester United were reportedly willing to pay him an astronomical £200,000-per-week salary.
A deal is already in place for De Gea’s transfer according the Marca, even though it has yet to be officially confirmed by either Man United or Real Madrid. Real Madrid will pay €25 million to Manchester United, with an additional €5 million in “easily achievable performance-related add-ons.”
€30 million seems low for a transfer fee that will secure the services of arguably the best young keeper in the world for the foreseeable future, but that is what Marca has reported.
Follow Ivan on Twitter: @yetly