Real Madrid have reportedly dropped their pursuit of AS Monaco talent Kylian Mbappe and will instead look to finally complete a deal for Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea – a deal that has been in the making for at least three years.
The Sun have reported that the emergence of the outrageously talented attacker Marco Asensio has led Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane to believe that Mbappe is no longer needed and will instead pursue a new ‘keeper in the shape of long-term target De Gea, with a £46m bid being touted.
It can’t be argued that 21-year-old Asensio has exploded into the first-team. With superb goals in both legs of the recent Spanish Super Cup clash against Barcelona, Asensio has all-but cemented his place in the first-team for the start of the season.
Alongside attacking talent such as Gareth Bale, Isco, and Cristiano Ronaldo – it appears that Mbappe’s services will not be needed despite a summer of speculation that Madrid would make him their most expensive club signing to date.
David De Gea instead will be Mardid’s main target. The Guardian reported that De Gea appeared to be signing for Madrid in 2015 but it fell through at the final stages. This is a deal that has been in the works for what feels like an eternity. However, it has almost felt inevitable to us that De Gea would at some point get his move to Madrid.
Will the deal be completed in time before the end of the window? Or, will it be a re-run of the 2015 saga in which The Guardian reported Madrid accused Man United of holding up paperwork to prevent the deal from going through?
It remains to be seen. But one thing that is for sure is that United fans could be losing some sleep for the next two weeks as their star player looks set for another long and tiring transfer saga with Madrid.