What’s the story?
Manchester United have informed Real Madrid that they would only sell David De Gea if they are offered Alvaro Morat and Raphael Varane in return. Red Devils are trying to make the most of the deal because they know that they cannot stop De Gea from joining Madrid according to The Sun.
Los Blancos were ready to pay a world-record fee of £60 million for the shot stopper, but the Premier League side are only interested in a swap deal. Former United coach, Rene Meulensteen told the club only to sell De Gea for a swap deal, and the club are listening to him.
The coach, who worked at Old Trafford from 2001 to 2013 (except for 2006/07 season) wants the club to ask for Gareth Bale in return. However, Jose Mourinho has set his sights on getting Morata and Varane as replacements for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo who are out of action for a very long time due to ACL injuries.
In case you didn’t know...
Real Madrid have been chasing De Gea for a long time. They struck a deal with the Red Devils for him in the summer of 2015, but it did not go through for a bizarre reason.
The deal included Navas moving in the opposite direction, but the paperwork was not submitted in time for the transfers to be sanctioned. The Spaniard went on to sign a new deal at Old Trafford but has once again informed the club that he wants to leave for the Madrid side.
The heart of the matter
Mourinho is keen on strengthening his side in the summer and is willing to let go of De Gea if he gets the 2 Real Madrid players. The United manager knows that the Madrid side are desperate to sign the Spanish #1 and wants to make the most of the deal.
Morata has already set his mind on leaving Bernabeu when the transfer window opens but wants to work under Antonio Conte. The Spanish striker has also agreed personal terms with Chelsea according to recent reports.
Varane was signed by Mourinho when he was at Madrid. The manager has been trying to lure him ever since he moved from there and was keen on getting him during his time at Chelsea and also at the start of this season at Manchester United.
Real are ready to sell Varane in the summer, and according to recent reports, Manchester United was the place they wanted to sell him. They wanted to offer him to the Red Devils so that they can get De Gea in return, but now the Premier League side have demanded him in te deal for the goalkeeper.
What’s next?
Real Madrid and Manchester United will eventually agree a deal for De Gea, but it would be interesting to see if any other player is actually involved in the transfer.
Author’s Take
Varane and Morata for De Gea is a win-win situation for all but Madrid can earn a lot more if they sell them individually. However, the Spanish side are keen on De Gea and might actually end up agreeing to this deal itself.
