Manchester United will only part ways with their Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea if they can secure the services of Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale. According to a report in the Mirror, the Red Devils will be willing to do business with Los Blancos about the possibility of a transfer of their goalkeeper De Gea only if they can get Bale in return. The Galacticos’ interest in De Gea is quite a popular feature in the summer transfer windows’ gossip columns and the Manchester outfit are fully expecting that Zinedine Zidane’s side will come back knocking again at the end of the current campaign.
The move was pretty close to being completed three years ago and with De Gea’s current contract at Old Trafford all set to run out in 2019, it could be Madrid’s best opportunity in a while to secure his services. Some sources in Spain have claimed that the only way De Gea is going to seal a transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is if Bale comes the other way and joins Jose Mourinho’s revolution at Manchester United. However, back in January, De Gea reassured fans that he was happy with life at United in an effort to deflect speculation linking him with a return to the Spanish capital.
The Spanish goalkeeper has featured in 30 matches for the Red Devils this season, conceding only 21 goals and keeping 17 clean sheets. He has undoubtedly cemented his place amongst the world’s greatest goalkeepers and Los Blancos will do well if they manage to capture his signature in the near future.
Manchester United are currently occupying the second place in the Premier League standings with a tally of 56 points in 26 league matches. In any other campaign, Jose Mourinho’s side would be well in contention of winning the league but the record-breaking form of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City has seen them fall behind in the race for the league title. The Citizens of Manchester are leading the Premier League by a mammoth 13 points with the Red Devils desperately trying to play catch up with their ‘noisy neighbours’.
The possible departure of De Gea would be a massive blow to United’s chances of bridging the gap between themselves and City in the coming years. However, the acquisition of Bale could go a long way in softening the blow of losing their world-class goalkeeper which might make this swap deal possible in the summer.
It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Spanish keeper and the Welsh wizard and whether their clubs will be willing to move them on at the end of this season.
