The Guardian/London
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 flies out to Seattle on 13 July unless his potential move to Real Madrid occurs before then.
The club is 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 Hern?ndez 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 defender, Real have yet to make their interest in De Gea official. An informal price of €18mn (£12.7mn) 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 is relaxed about whether Ramos may be using its 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 £28.5mn and he has told the club he wants to leave this summer.
fabregas saga
Two summers ago Fabregas 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 ahead of facing Mexico’s Club America on 17 July.
After flying to San Jose where Van Gaal’s side are based for over a week, all of 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 ahead of playing Paris Saint-Germain the following day - 27 July - there will be no training in the city ahead of the final game of the tour. United fly home immediately after the fixture at Soldier Field.
