MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 15: Goalkeeper David De Gea of Manchester United looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on March 15, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manchester United are in talks with goalkeeper David de Gea about a new contract, according to reports.
The BBC and a number of national newspapers said on Thursday night that the Spain goalkeeper was talking about a new deal, just 10 days after a move to Real Madrid collapsed.
De Gea looked set to join Madrid on deadline day in a long-mooted move, only for administration errors to scupper a deal. Pictures carried by the Daily Mail showed De Gea's agent, Jorge Mendes, in Manchester on Thursday afternoon, giving rise to talk of negotiations.
De Gea has not played for United this season as a result of the uncertainty surrounding him, but could be in line to return against Liverpool this weekend. United manager Louis van Gaal is set for his first club media commitments since deadline day on Friday.
There was no comment from the club on Thursday night.
It was thought Real might resurrect their interest in De Gea during the winter transfer window, but Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insists that will not happen, with the Real president also unsure whether De Gea might perform a U-turn and sign a new contract at United after all.
"No definitely not," was Perez's response when asked by Spanish radio station Cadena Cope if Real would try to sign De Gea in January. Perez was similarly downbeat over what might happen next summer.
He said: "We are not contemplating that he comes next year. He is there and we have three very good goalkeepers. We have not told him not to sign [a new United contract]. He has to do what is best for his career. It is very difficult that he does nothing for a year. When people say: 'wait for a year and then he comes free,' that has never happened with any big player."
Perez also denied that Real must pay a penalty clause to De Gea for not successfully completing his signing this summer: "It is not true. Every day something new comes out and we don't have to deny everything but these things come out and people believe them to be true."
United and Real have been involved in a war of words since the deal collapsed, with both sides blaming the other. Perez reiterated his belief that the responsibility lies with the Red Devils.
He said: "You can leave things until the last day, but not until midnight on the last day. Everyone knows that we did everything we could."
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