David De Gea’s release clause at Manchester United not enough to protect Red Devils

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Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has a sizeable release clause in his contract, but it still doesn’t reflect his quality and protect his club’s position.

According to Marca, it will take a bid of €60m to activate the clause in the Spaniard’s contract, thus giving any interested party an opportunity to prise him away from Old Trafford if they are willing to invest heavily in his talents.

As noted in the report, that could perk the interest of long-time admirers Real Madrid, and €60m is still a hefty sum for any club to splash out on one player.

Nevertheless, given that this is a goalkeeper that has established himself as one of the best in Europe over the past few years, it still seems a little low and it could be United who end up paying the price.

At a time when decisive players such as Paul Pogba and Gonzalo Higuain are being transferred for exorbitant prices for what they offer in different areas of the pitch, what makes De Gea any less important?

The Spanish international has proven himself to be a match-winner on countless occasions, pulling off world-class saves every week to keep United in games that they might otherwise have dropped points in.

At just 26 years of age, he still has well over a decade left at the top level if he can maintain his current level of excellence, and having now firmly established himself as Spain’s number one choice between the posts, he’ll hope to lead his club and country to success in the years to come.

That in itself is enough of an argument to warrant the release clause being higher, but considering that Real Madrid have shown that they are willing to spend whatever is necessary to sign the player that they desire, it leaves United in a precarious position.

Whether it’s the £80m spent on signing Ronaldo in 2009 or the £85m required to take Gareth Bale from Tottenham, the La Liga giants aren’t fazed by money.

De Gea has made well over 200 appearances for United in all competitions since his arrival in Manchester in 2011, and should a conversation take place about extending his deal beyond 2019, Jose Mourinho would do well to advise the club to ensure that the release clause is increased to keep Madrid at arm’s length.

Follow Sumeet on Twitter @SP_Calcio

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