David de Gea is expected back in training on Monday to start his pre-season with Manchester United. The goalkeeper is due to take his place on the summer tour when the club fly to Seattle on
July 13th unless his mooted move to Real Madrid occurs before then.
The club are prepared to allow De Gea to wind his contract down and leave for free next summer if Real will not sell them Sergio Ramos. The 20-times champions are unmoved by Real's track record of being able to prise virtually every target they want from a particular club.
De Gea is currently in Madrid but should return to the Aon Training Complex along with the rest of the club’s internationals, apart from the injured Javier Hernández, on July 6th. All of United’s non-internationals have already started tests and initial preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Raises the prospect
If De Gea’s future remains undecided by Monday week he will be part of the squad for the four-match trip to the United States. This raises the prospect of Louis van Gaal continually having to field questions about the Spaniard, despite the manager being keen to focus only on preparing for the new season.
While United have made one bid for the 29-year-old Ramos, Real have yet to make their interest in De Gea official. An informal price of €18 million was presented by the Spanish club but this was not countenanced.
Van Gaal views Ramos as being key to strengthening his defence and important for the leadership qualities he will add to the United dressing-room. Unlike United’s pursuit of Cesc Fàbregas when he was at Barcelona in summer 2013, the club are relaxed about whether Ramos may be using their interest to draw a lucrative new contract at the Bernabéu. This is due to Real’s wish to sign De Gea to replace Iker Casillas as their number one goalkeeper.
If Ramos, who has been at Real for 10 years and has a contract that expires in 2017, is not sold to United, then the Old Trafford club will not sell De Gea. Ramos has been informed by Real Madrid that they received a formal bid from United valued at £28.5 million (€40m) and he has told the club he wants to leave this summer.
Two summers ago Fàbregas signalled he might go to Old Trafford only to stay at Barcelona once the playmaker was given assurances that he was wanted at the Catalan club. He subsequently moved to Chelsea a year later.
For the tour Van Gaal has had many of his wishes acceded to with regard to ensuring best possible preparation. All of the club’s hotels are close to where they will train and play games. In Seattle, United are training at the Seattle Sounders complex before their match against Mexico’s Club America on July 17th.
Insisted
After flying to San José, training will be at the Avaya Stadium, the home of the San Jose Earthquakes, who United meet on July 21st. This match had been scheduled for Berkeley’s California Memorial Stadium but Van Gaal insisted it should be moved closer to where United are based.
The distance to the original venue was around 50 miles and the manager, who was unhappy with the scale of travel on last summer’s US tour, vetoed having to make the round trip. Four days later United face Barcelona in Santa Clara, a few minutes’ drive away.
(Guardian Service)
