It’s only a matter of time before David de Gea finally decides to leave Manchester United to return to his home city and play for Real Madrid, claims Craig Bellamy.
The former-Manchester City player insisted that De Gea will eventually join Los Blancos despite rumours of a new long-term contract at Old Trafford for the Spaniard.
De Gea joined Man United for a record-breaking deal from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and after struggling for a couple of seasons, has established himself as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, a fact undisputed by anyone in football.
The consistency of De Gea’s quality makes tying him down to a new contract the biggest current priority for United. Bellamy thinks that’s unlikely, though.
“He is the real deal and I have always felt that Real Madrid have been looking for him to be their No 1 for a number of years,” Bellamy told the Sky Sports show The Debate.
“And it is just a matter of time before they get him.
“His footwork is brilliant, he anticipates as well, he can read forwards and if you watch, he makes a lot of his saves with his feet. He is incredible.
“He asks the forward so many questions when you are gunning down on him and he is a real top goalkeeper.”
De Gea is utterly irreplaceable. Real Madrid could offer in excess of £100m but United would not be able to secure the same quality in goal even with that money, and the club are hardly strapped for cash either.
Real Madrid, though, may prove more desperate than ever to secure their man this summer after coming close in 2015 – an administration error on a fax machine, so the myth goes, prevented the deal from going through.
The Spanish giants are miles away from FC Barcelona in La Liga and have looked far less of a force than the last two seasons under Zinedine Zidane. Club president Florentino Perez is reportedly keen for a huge summer with a spend of around £500m focusing on United’s De Gea, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
“Usually every top club has a rebuild and maybe it has been a little bit more overdue with Madrid because of the success of they have had in the Champions League,” says Bellamy.
“But I see De Gea being a huge part of that and Real Madrid do spend money, they always have done, they have been quiet over the last few years.
“So probably due to the fact that it will take a huge fee to get him and prise him away from Man Utd, I would be shocked if he did not go.”