'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has come out and said that it was Manchester United’s ‘lack of experience’ that caused the transfer of goalkeeper David De Gea to fall through, according to EPSN. The La Liga club had tried to seal a cash-plus-player deal on deadline day but failed to submit the required documents before the stipulated deadline.
Real Madrid had first released a statement that blamed Manchester United for the botched transfer. But the Premier League club soon responded with a statement of their own stating that they had done everything necessary to make sure the deal went through.
Perez blames Manchester United’s negotiating tactics
According to La Cadena Ser, a major Spanish radio network, Perez said explained his version of the events that had transpired on deadline day and the hours after the midnight deadline.
“At 1:30, we did the transfer contract between the clubs of both the players and we sent them. They took eight hours to return them,” Perez explained.
"I don't think it was in bad faith. I think it was just that they had a lot of work. After that there was very little time left. [The paperwork] came in at 24:02 and they sent them at 24:00. They arrived past the deadline. It is bad luck.
Although Perez doesn’t directly blame United, he does go on to say that they delayed their negotiations. And when the Red Devils wanted to negotiate, he knew the deal would not be able to completed because of United’s lack of experience in such deals.
“I don't want to blame anyone but we don't really understand whether they needed eight hours to review the contracts or if it was just that they wanted to wait until the last minute to negotiate,” Perez said. “When they said they would negotiate, I knew that we wouldn't get it done because I knew about Manchester United's lack of experience.”
Madrid had promised De Gea a transfer
Perez went on to explain how they had planned to bring De Gea back to Madrid, albeit in the white kit, in 2014. They had known Iker Casillas was reaching the end of his career at the Bernabeu and they saw the Spanish goalkeeper as the ideal replacement.
“A year ago, we understood that the future after Iker [Casillas] was De Gea and we had made a promise to him,” Perez explained.
“Now we don't have any idea what we will do next year.”
Perez explained how it wasn’t the first time a transfer had been mishandled. It had happened before with Frenchmen Franck Ribery and Patrick Vieira.
“Many transfers have gone well for me but others no. I wanted to get Vieira and Ribery and they didn't come. With the contract of [Cristiano] Ronaldo the same thing happened, but in the end we were able to do it,” he concluded.
