David de Gea is expected back in training on Monday to start his pre-season with Manchester United.
The goalkeeper is due to take his place on the summer tour when the
club fly to Seattle on 13 July unless his mooted move to Real Madrid
occurs before then.
The club are prepared to allow De Gea to wind his contract down and leave for free next summer if Real will not sell them Sergio Ramos.
The 20-times champions are unmoved by Real’s track record of being able
to prise virtually every target they want from a particular club.
De Gea is currently in Madrid but should return to the Aon Training
Complex along with the rest of the club’s internationals apart from the
injured Javier Hernández on 6 July. All of United’s non-internationals
have already started tests and initial preparations for the upcoming
campaign.
If De Gea’s future remains undecided by Monday week he will be part
of the squad for the four-match trip to the United States. This raises
the prospect of Louis van Gaal continually having to field questions
about the Spaniard despite the manager being keen to focus only on
preparing for the new season when he is aware United have to again be
serious challengers.
While United have made one bid for the 29-year-old defenderRamos,
Real have yet to make their interest in De Gea official. An informal
price of €18m (£12.7m) was presented by the Spanish club but this was
not countenanced.
Van Gaal views Ramos as being key to strengthening his defence and
important for the leadership qualities he will add to the United
dressing room. Unlike United’s pursuit of Cesc Fàbregas when he was at
Barcelona in summer 2013, the club are relaxed about whether Ramos may
be using their interest to draw a lucrative new contract at the
Bernabéu. This is due to Real’s wish to sign De Gea to replace Iker
Casillas as their No1 goalkeeper.
If Ramos, who has been at Real for 10 years and has a contract that
expires in 2017, is not sold to United then De Gea will not be allowed
to be bought.
Ramos has been informed by Real Madrid that they received a formal bid from United valued at £28.5m and he has told the club he wants to leave this summer.
Two summers ago Fàbregas signalled he might go to Old Trafford only
to stay at Barcelona once the playmaker was given assurances that he was
wanted at the Catalan club. He subsequently moved to Chelsea a year
later.
For the tour Van Gaal has had many of his wishes acceded to with
regard to ensuring best possible preparation. All of the club’s hotels
are close to where they will train and play games. In Seattle, United
are training at the Seattle Sounders complex in preparation for facing
Mexico’s Club America on 17 July.
After flying to San José, where Van Gaal’s side will be based for
more than a week, training will be at the Avaya Stadium, the home of the
San Jose Earthquakes, who United meet on 21 July. This match had been
originally scheduled for Berkeley’s California Memorial Stadium but Van
Gaal insisted it should be moved closer to where United are based. The
distance to the original venue was around 50 miles and the manager, who
was unhappy with the scale of travel on last summer’s US tour, vetoed
having to make the round trip.
Four days later United face Barcelona in Santa Clara, which is a few
minutes’ drive away. As the club do not arrive in Chicago until 11pm
before playing Paris Saint-Germain the following day – 27 July – there
will be no training in the city before the final game of the tour.
United fly home immediately after the fixture at Soldier Field.

No comments:
Post a Comment