Manchester United: Real Madrid ready to offer David de Gea £12m as signing-on fee next summer

Real Madrid are reportedly ready to hand Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea a £12m ($18.6m) signing-on fee to sit out the final year of his contract with the Red Devils, according to the Mirror.

The Spanish international has been heavily linked with a move to the 10-time European champions, but the two clubs are unable to agree a fee to complete the move, despite AS reporting that Louis van Gaal has told the club to sanction the move.

The Spanish capital club are reportedly willing to pay £25m ($38.9m) to take the stopper to the Santiago Bernabeu, but the Red Devils are demanding a fee closer to £35m ($54.5m), which Real are unwilling to match.

The La Liga giants are keen to sign the goalkeeper this summer, but according to Spanish publication AS, they are willing to wait until next summer to sign him on a free transfer and will not be held to ransom as Rafael Benitez already has two 'keepers at his disposal.

Van Gaal is annoyed by the ongoing transfer saga and has admitted that the whole team's focus has been affected by the speculation over De Gea's future.

Moreover, the Dutch manager omitted the former Atletico Madrid star from United's opening two fixtures in the Premier League, after admitting that the player had himself insisted on not playing against Tottenham on the opening day of their Premier League campaign.

"We talked with him [De Gea] and he fully agreed with our decision," Van Gaal is quoted as saying by the Guardian.

"I have one assistant coach and another assistant coach so we speak about that kind of thing together. We have a goalkeeping coach, Frans Hoek, and I'm not doing everything alone."

"Frans Hoek ... he has a meeting with David de Gea and he asked him: 'Do you want to play?'" The Spaniard's response to that question was a "no," the manager added.

The huge fee offered by the European giants could tempt De Gea to see out his final year at United and he will be allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside England in January.