Manchester United’s summer is likely to be shrouded in transfer speculation and the gossip is already in full swing, with one of the major talking points concerning the future of a key-player in Jose Mourinho’s ranks.

Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea is once again attracting the interest of Real Madrid, who infamously saw a Deadline Deal collapse in 2015, and Los Blancos are intent on getting their man in the summer window ahead.

Jose Mourinho is reportedly open to letting De Gea leave, as he doesn’t want to keep players at the club who are not committed to his project, and that view may have come as a surprise to many- but it’s clear the pressure on United to replace De Gea isn’t as significant as initially believe.

Manchester United already have a capable goalkeeper ready to step-up into the first-team in the form of Argentine keeper Sergio Romero, who put in a starring performance last night as the Red Devil’s drew 0-0 with Southampton.

Romero saved a first-half penalty from Manolo Gabbiadini to ensure the Red Devils didn’t lose three consecutive Premier League matches and he’s established his spot in the side ahead of the Europa League final with Ajax, having played throughout the club’s European venture thus far.

The 30-year-old stands as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, despite his usual absence from the starting line-up, and he’s more than capable of stepping-up next season should David De Gea leave for the Spanish capital.

Romero will be keen to establish himself in his national side’s set-up ahead of the World Cup next summer, where he faces competition for his starting spot from the likes of Real Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, so first-team football is a necessity next season.

Whilst Manchester United will seek a top-class goalkeeper to occupy their spot between the sticks for the long-term, with candidates including AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, the likelihood of either of those targets leaving this summer seems slim.

18-year-old Donnarumma is locked in contract negotiations with Milan ahead of the summer window, as the Italian side eye a rebuild using funds from their takeover last summer, whilst Atletico will fend-off interest in their star-men ahead of a crucial season.

Atletico are due to leave the Vicente Calderon this summer and move into their new stadium but face the issue of an imposed transfer ban, which leaves Diego Simeone’s side incapable of signing replacements for players who leave. On top of that, their Argentine boss is poised to leave in 2018.

Manchester United will have better chance of securing moves for a long-term De Gea replacement next summer and Romero is the ideal man to steady the ship in the meantime, which allows United to focus their transfer activity elsewhere.