Real Madrid eyeing another raid on the Man United ranks

Real Madrid are weighing up a move for Man United youngster David De Gea as a long-term replacement for their legendary keeper, Iker Casillas, who previously singled out the former Atletico Madrid stopper as the man to take over his mantle at the Bernabeu.

Los Merengues are a way back from Barcelona in the La Liga betting stakes at 7/2 courtesy of a sluggish start to the season and sit eight points behind their Catalan nemeses in fourth.

De Gea is reportedly homesick in Manchester and is keen for a return home, so he may be willing to spend a few seasons bench-warming for Jose Mourinho’s side in exchange for some Spanish sunshine.

At 31, Casillas still has plenty of mileage left in the tank and de Gea, as he has proved time and again in a United shirt, is a long way away from fulfilling the potential that saw him touted as a future Spanish number one.

However, if his mind is elsewhere, a move back to Madrid would allow him to focus on football and, what better mentor to be working day-in, day-out with than Casillas?

De Gea would obviously be keen to make the move – he’s hardly the first name on the team sheet at Old Trafford as it stands – yet United’s relationship with Real has always been frosty, with Sir Alex Ferguson once claiming he ‘wouldn’t sell them a virus’ in relation to their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo.

United definitely would not be relinquishing the 21-year-old for anything less than the £17m they splashed out on him; whether Real would be willing to fork out that sort of money on a man whose first contract would be close to expiry by the time Casillas hangs up his gloves is difficult to envisage.

With this in mind, it may be a season or two before Real make their move but, much like Ronaldo, he is a man very much on their radar and when they get their heart set on a player, they don’t usually end up disappointed.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date