David De Gea to Real Madrid: Manchester United goalkeeper could be paid €5m to reject a contract extension at Old Trafford

Real want to sign De Gea but could wait until he is available on a free transfer next season

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea (Getty Images)

Real Madrid may be willing to wait a year before they sign Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea after considering a €5m payment in order for him to reject a new contract and leave on a free transfer.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Real have agreed to pay De Gea €5m (£3.47m) in order to prevent him from signing a new contract at Old Trafford and force Real to shell out a hefty transfer fee when the transfer window opens next season. De Gea’s contract is set to expire in June 2016 and with talks over an extension on hold due to the significant interest coming from Real, a new deal is very unlikely to happen at this stage.

However, Real want to be sure that their top transfer target won’t perform a U-turn and re-sign with United. With Real holding firm on their decision not to sell defender Sergio Ramos to United, the Premier League club have insisted that no deal will be struck for De Gea and included the Spanish No 1 on their four-match pre-season tour of the United States.

That would leave Real with a dilemma on their hands following the exit of club legend Iker Casillas, leaving just Keylor Navas to marshal the sticks this season. One option that is being reported by Marca is that Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla could return to Real in a deal that could cost up to €6m.

Casilla left Real Madrid’s academy in 2007, but the 28-year-old is attracting interest from the Santiago Bernabeu and a deal could be struck in the coming weeks. That would still leave them the option of moving for De Gea this summer, but also gives Real the option to wait and head into the season with two proven goalkeepers in their ranks.

Another option would be to consider a move for United’s unwanted goalkeeper Victor Valdes, although the Spaniard’s ties with his former club Barcelona would make any deal difficult to please the fans in Madrid. United manager Louis van Gaal revealed on Wednesday night that he is actively looking to sell Valdes due to him refusing to play for the reserve side – something that the goalkeeper appeared to deny in a thinly-veiled tweet aimed at Van Gaal.

The 33-year-old is being linked with a move to fellow La Liga side Valencia should he secure a move away from Old Trafford this summer.