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What's the rumour?
David de Gea has been linked with a move to the Spanish capital for many years now. With Real Madrid sniffing around their prized asset, Manchester United are desperate to keep hold of the goalkeeper. According to The Sun, it will cost the Reds a hefty price.
The Spaniard is reportedly requesting £375,000 per week to carry on plying his trade under Jose Mourinho.
The report states that the arrival of Alexis Sanchez and his blockbuster contract is what persuaded David de Gea to ask for such a pay rise.
In case you didn't know...
David de Gea has played 2,340 minutes in the Premier League this season and no player has played more than that. Even more impressively, the Spaniard has kept 15 clean sheets in this time, which is more than any other goalkeeper in the league.
Having suffered some strong criticism in his early days, de Gea stuck at it and continued working on himself. Now, he's recognised as one of the world's best goalkeepers.
The heart of the matter
It is no surprise that the shot-stopper believes he is underpaid. Without David de Gea, nobody knows where Manchester United would be. It's not often that you see goalkeepers warrant such praise, but the Spanish goalkeeper is perhaps the most influential player in Manchester United's books.
Losing him could prove costly, although they do have a reliable backup in Sergio Romero. Manchester United won't want to repeat the Cristiano Ronaldo situation, as they know how tempting Real Madrid can be.
Also read: Top 5 players who struggled after leaving Manchester United
Rumour rating/probability
7/10
Although many take The Sun's news with a pinch of salt, there could be some truth behind this report.
The arrival of Alexis Sanchez is great news for Manchester United. However, it was bound to have dressing room effects once the players found out about his wages.
Football is very much a game of money nowadays, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if David de Gea was asking for more money.
Video
Although he failed to keep a clean sheet, David de Gea's performance against Arsenal will go down as one of the Premier League's greatest ones.
Author's take
We all know how good a goalkeeper David De Gea is and it is quite natural that he would want wage parity with the highest earners at the club.
Manchester United certainly have the money. If this rumour is true, then the Reds should pay up, because it's not every day that you get a goalkeeper of David de Gea's calibre.
