David de Gea’s contractual situation at Manchester United could remain unresolved until the summer with the club facing the distraction of prioritising a decision on Radamel Falcao’s long-term future at Old Trafford.
Spanish goalkeeper De Gea has emerged as a target for European champions Real Madrid after overcoming his initial struggles at United to become one of the leading goalkeepers in the Premier League.
But despite the 24-year-old’s United contract having less than 18 months left to run before it expires in June 2016, efforts to tie De Gea to a new long-term deal remain at a preliminary stage.
Falcao and De Gea are both represented by the Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes and reaching an agreement on the striker has become the more pressing issue due to the short-term nature of his current deal with United.
United are coming under pressure to sign off a permanent deal for the Colombian forward on completion of his season-long loan from Monaco before the acceleration of talks with De Gea.
A £43.2m transfer fee has already been agreed with Monaco for Falcao, with personal terms also agreed with the player, should United manager Louis van Gaal sanction his purchase in the summer.
Despite Falcao so far struggling to make a case for a permanent move to United, with the 28-year-old scoring just three goals during his injury-interrupted first four months at Old Trafford, it is understood that the player’s camp are keen for the club to end uncertainty over the forward’s future by committing to a full transfer this month.
Senior figures at United have made it clear that no decision will be made on Falcao until the end of the season - when the club must signal its intentions to Monaco - owing to a determination to give the former Porto and Atletico Madrid player every opportunity to prove his worth following the cruciate ligament injury, suffered while playing in France last January, which forced him to miss last year’s World Cup.
Although Falcao has overcome his fitness problems to start in all of United’s last five fixtures, scoring twice in that run, Van Gaal has yet to be convinced of the merits of signing the player permanently for a fee which would be second only to the £59.7m spent on Angel di Maria in terms of the club’s biggest-ever transfers.
There remains a belief at United that Falcao can rediscover the goalscoring form which made him one of the most sought-after forwards in world football prior to his injury, but there is also caution over making a premature decision on a player who will be 29 next month.
And while United are prepared to be patient with Falcao, they also insist that they remain ‘relaxed’ over De Gea and his future.
United will offer the former Atletico Madrid ‘keeper a lucrative contract to stay at Old Trafford, despite an acceptance that De Gea’s links to the city of his birth would make Real a tempting proposition.
Although De Gea and his family have settled well in Manchester, the player’s girlfriend, the Spanish pop star Edurne Garcia Almagro, continues to be based in Madrid, where she has recently progressed into hosting a television show.
United believe that a deal still be struck with De Gea, however, and the return to favour of Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas at Real is likely to boost the prospects of De Gea extending his stay at Old Trafford.
Casillas has regained his position at first-choice ‘keeper at Real this season, despite the summer arrival of Costa Rica’s World Cup ‘keeper Keylor Navas, and the 33-year-old’s status at the Bernabeu as one of the most influential figures in the dressing-room would ensure that De Gea would face a difficult battle for the first-team position should he pursue a move to Real this summer.
With Casillas under contract at Real until the end of the 2016-17 season, and both ‘keepers now locked in a fight to be Spain’s first-choice at Euro 2016, there is a sense within United that De Gea may postpone thoughts of a return to La Liga until he has established himself as the country’s number one and seen off the challenge of Casillas, for both club and country.
But with Mendes likely to devote his immediate attention to thrashing out a deal for Falcao, United may be forced to wait until the end of the season before focusing fully on De Gea.
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