Manchester United Transfer Rumour: Real Madrid Target Red Devils Star

Real Madrid have reportedly identified Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea as a potential successor to Iker Casillas, amid speculation that the 21-year-old is unhappy in England.

The former Atletico Madrid star, who arrived at Old Trafford in an £18.3m move last summer, has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and is yet to tie down his place as United's first-choice keeper, with Anders Lindegaard getting half of the games. And, according to the Telegraph, the Spaniard is understood to have informed his agent Jorge Mendes of his desire to return to La Liga, with the Los Blancos now determined to recruit the youngster.

The Daily Mail reports that Real boss Jose Mourinho has a close working relationship with Mendes and has enquired the agent about a potential move to bring the shot-stopper back to Madrid. Despite his struggles at United, de Gea's reputation remains high in Spain, where he considered the favourite to eventually replace the legendary Casillas in the national team.

The player recently admitted that adjusting to the Premier League is more difficult than he expected, due to the physical nature of the game in England. de Gea is understood to be also unhappy that his girlfriend - and Spanish pop star - Edurne Garcia Almagro has to travel between Madrid and Manchester to see him every time.

Anzhi Close in on Gaitan

Meanwhile, Russian big-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala sporting director Roberto Carlos has revealed that the club have moved closer to signing Benfica midfielder and United target Nicolas Gaitan.

The 24-year-old has had two impressive seasons in the Portuguese Premier Liga and has been heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils throughout the summer. However, according to Carlos, Anzhi have now moved ahead of the queue.

"There were already talks in the summer but various agents appeared so we backed out. But now we are expecting a good solution for all parties," TalkSport quoted the former Brazil defender as saying.