David De Gea has made his name as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It’s worth mentioning that United’s current surge in form would’ve counted for nothing, if not for De Gea’s consistent heroics throughout the season.

The 24 year old has continually progressed throughout his career, after a tough start to life at United. It’s fair to say United fans are yet to see a poor performance from him so far this season.

As football often shows though, with success comes speculation, and De Gea has been surrounded with nothing but speculation all season.

With Casillas’ glittering career surely close to an end, it would seem De Gea is the perfect replacement, and with Madrid being his place of birth, it could indicate this move is even more likely.

De Gea’s current deal with United runs out in 2016. Whether or not he will sign a new deal remains to be seen. Different stories come and go everyday in the media, leaving us all a little confused about the situation. With Victor Valdes signing as well, another high class Spanish keeper, it could be a sign that LvG isn’t too confident about De Gea’s commitment. That, or he just wants a stronger depth in the squad. Let’s hope it’s the latter that prevails.

However, it does seem more likely than not that Real Madrid are interested in De Gea, in which case you would have to favour the Champions League holders obtaining their man. The sort of money a top goalkeeper can cost a team is widely debatable, but the figure often quoted with De Gea is always upwards of £50 million.

Of course, United fans would want nothing more than to hold onto De Gea, but it’s worth talking about what benefits, if any, the club could reap from his departure. Following Manchester United’s derby win over Manchester City, Gary Neville, Sky Sports’ lead pundit and co-commentator, suggested that should David De Gea move to Madrid, then United would have no choice to take a player from Madrid themselves in return.

Gary Neville went on to say in the broadcast: “United need to try & keep De Gea. He’s been the best player for United all season, & he’s a candidate for player of the season. If they’re not going to keep De Gea, there’s only one club that’s going to come in for him. United have got to take someone off them.”

Cristiano Ronaldo? Gareth Bale? Take your pick! It’s a long shot, but United are constantly linked with both players and more than certainly have the budget to entertain the moves. Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford would be a dream come true for most Red Devils around the world, even with De Gea’s exit as a result.

One thing’s for sure, De Gea’s presence at Manchester United is vital. He’s a player they desperately need to hold on to. It’ll be a battle keeping hold of the Spaniard, but it could prove to be a battle United are capable of winning should Ed Woodward tie him down to a big paying 5 year deal.