Manchester United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of rumoured top David De Gea replacement target Jasper Cillessen, as Ajax will apparently play ‘really difficult’ and reject any advances from the Red Devils for their No. 1.
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Manchester United star David De Gea tells teammates he wants to leave for Real Madrid
The Netherlands international was in fine form last season – recording 12 clean sheets in the Dutch Eredivisie – and could have earned himself a big-money move away from the Amsterdam Arena this summer.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is said to be interested in the Ajax stopper after the Red Devils’ goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek singled out the 26-year-old as a fine replacement to Real Madrid-bound De Gea [via The Mirror].
However, sealing his signature will be no easy task for the Premier League giants, as Cillessen himself believes that his current club will refuse any offers from the Old Trafford side. The keeper also bemoaned his signing of a new contract, and reveals his wish that he let his previous deal run down:
“The Ajax management are going to make it really difficult when the interest becomes concrete,” as quoted by The Mirror.
“If I had planned to leave, I would not have signed a new contract until 2018. My old contract was expiring in the summer of 2016 and in that case this summer would have been the perfect moment to leave,” he continued.
“[Ajax coach] Frank de Boer has been very clear when he received questions about my transfer – he wants to block it.”
The former NEC star played under ex-Netherlands manager van Gaal at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but a reunion could prove to be a significant challenge – despite Man Utd reportedly willing to offer £20m to secure his signature.
Nonetheless, Man Utd have a list of other potential replacements to David De Gea, including Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, while Victor Valdes, who was the Spaniard’s back-up at the Theatre of Dreams last season, could be handed a first-team promotion [via the Daily Mail].