David De Gea has been given a May deadline by Real Madrid to make up his mind on a return to Spain.
David De Gea
The Manchester United keeper is a long-time target for Real and Jose Mourinho has a fight on his hands to keep him at Old Trafford.
According to sources in Spain, De Gea has met with agent Jorge Mendes who has outlined the situation to him.
Officials at the Bernabeu want an answer by the first week in May, otherwise they will turn their attention to Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois.
De Gea’s United contract runs until June 2019 but there is understood to be a clause that allows the 26-year-old to speak to Madrid if they offer £50 million.
Real have fought a very public campaign to tempt De Gea back to Spain during the past two seasons, reports Sunday Mirror.
Their hand on both occasions was considerably stronger as the Red Devils have not been serious Premier League contenders.
But the green shoots of recovery are beginning to show under Mourinho and the former Atletico player may decide to stay put.
Indeed, given the inflated transfer market, United’s boss may recommend a pay rise and extended deal for De Gea – with a release clause approaching £70m.
If De Gea rejects Madrid, Real will switch their focus to Belgium star Courtois as Zinedine Zidane looks to bring in a replacement for Keylor Navas.
