According to Louis van Gaal, the Manchester United manager, Real Madrid are refusing to meet their asking price for David De Gea, as speculation over a transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu continues to dominate headlines.
The Dutchman has given off the impression that De Gea will be granted a move to the Santiago Bernabeu in the coming weeks, but a fee appears to be a major stumbling in negotiations.
When asked if the La Liga BBVA giants had matched their valuation for the goalkeeper, van Gaal replied, “No, I don’t think so,” as quoted by Sky Sports.
“We are asking money and they have to pay money. In recent years Manchester United have paid a lot of money on players and not received a lot for our players.”
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Van Gaal confirmed at his press-conference on Friday that De Gea would be controversially dropped for their opening game of the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur, suggesting that the Spaniard’s performance may be affected by the uncertainty surrounding his Old Trafford future.
The former Netherlands boss claims that his No.1 is not the same as last season.
“We’ve observed him in training and matches and he’s not the David De Gea of last year,” as quoted by BBC Sport.
“De Gea tries and does his utmost best, but it’s a difficult situation.
“Now we have to play our first match and I want players who can focus only on the match and he is not capable to do that.
“He shall not play.”
With a move to Los Blancos looking far from guaranteed this summer, De Gea’s career could be set to suffer at the hands of his manager – particularly if Sergio Romero impresses in between the posts on Saturday afternoon.
The 24-year-old may surely now be praying that Real cough up the cash required to see him finally make a return to the Spanish capital, and an escape from a now uninviting campaign at the Theatre of Dreams.