It seems that whenever a player makes a name for himself then either Barcelona or Real Madrid ready big money offers to tempt them away. That appears to be the case with Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea who, with only another year left of his contract, has set Real Madrid’s alarm bells off.

At 2, de Gea is seen in his native Spain as Iker Casillas’ natural successor. Casillas has been between the sticks for both Real Madrid and Spain for 15+ years now and as he appears to have lost some of his sharpness, De Gea has been lined up to replace him.

Now that fit might seem perfect for Real but de Gea has become very much a part of the furniture at Old Trafford. David de Gea has started every one of United’s 30 league games this season keeping 10 clean sheets and his unwavering composure in goal easily holds back any competition from reserve 'keepers Anders Lindegaard and Victor Valdes.

When United decided to sign ex-Barcelona goalkeeper Valdes on an 18-month-deal supporters speculated whether that meant de Gea would be moving on but in the three months that the 33-year-old has been at the club he has yet to break through to the first-team.

Both Lindegaard and Valdes are decent 'keepers but neither are currently at the level that De Gea has showcased all year. Even with defensive frailties and an ever changing line-up the young stopper has stayed focussed, at times being the difference between United taking a precious point or none at all.

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But most if not all players want not just to win games but also trophies. United have been spectators of the Champions League this season and for an ambitious person like de Gea that must be hard. With only eight games left of this campaign United, who sit in fourth, have a good chance of qualifying for Europe but just dropping a few points could rule them out once again. That is not the case for Real Madrid. They are second in La Liga and are the current holders of Europe’s top prize.

de Gea was actually born in Madrid but began playing for Real’s city rivals Atletico when he was 13. Considering the bad feelings between the two clubs hopefully de Gea is not swayed by the chance to play for the 32 times league winners.

If it comes down to money then United just need to pay it. If they were willing to spend £6 million for one-year of Radamel Falcao’s time then de Gea, who has proven his worth for four seasons, should get a record amount also. After all there are a lot of good 'keepers out there but not many who are great.

If United can persuade de Gea to pledge his future to the club then the Red Devils will have a safe pair of hands for many, many seasons to come. He is still very young and the experience he will have gained not only on a domestic but international level in the coming years will be invaluable to a club that wish to reassert themselves back at the top.

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