Who could United turn to if they lose their Spanish stopper?
With recent reports in the media having suggested that La Liga giants Real Madrid are lining up Manchester United as a potential long-term replacement for Iker Casillas, United could soon have to face up to the possibility of losing the young goalkeeper who has arguably been their finest performer during the barren spell of the last 14 months.
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If United do lose de Gea, however, there are plenty of top class targets for them to pursue – as this list of five potential replacements shows:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Whilst Petr Cech would be something of a short term option, a similar signing in Edwin van der Sar from Fulham a few years ago gave United one of the finest goalkeepers they have had in the Premier League era. Cech could even be available for a bargain price, considering that he has fallen out of the Chelsea first team, but Mourinho may be reluctant to sanction a sale to a potential title rival.
Simone Scuffet (Udinese)
Depending on how long Real decided to persevere with Casillas before making a potential move for de Gea, United could well have timed things perfectly to bring in the next big thing in goalkeeping as their new first choice – Udinese youngster and Italian international Simone Scuffet. The teenager already has Serie A experience under his belt and has the potential to become the best stopper on the planet.
Asmir Begovic (Stoke City)
Bosnian international Asmir Begovic has been one of the top Premier League goalkeepers for a number of years now and would be a sensible signing for a club such as United – he has the ability to step up now but is also young enough to keep improving and hand a big club a number of years of sterling service.
Kiko Casilla (Espanyol)
La Liga has emerged as something of a hotbed of late-developing goalkeepers in the last couple of years, with Willy Caballero, Keylor Navas and Claudio Brava all examples of this – as well as Espanyol man Kiko Casilla, who has been consistently one of the best in La Liga for the last couple of seasons and looks likely to move away in the near future. He wouldn’t cost the world and has plenty of ability.
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur)
Perhaps the most exciting and realistic goalkeeping prospect for United is Tottenham man Hugo Lloris, with the Frnehc international perhaps slightly too good to stay at White Hart Lane for much longer unless they can secure regular Champions League football. He would cost a huge fee, but is one of the best in the world and United have proven themselves willing to spend big on Spurs players before in Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick.