Real Madrid have been given a slap in the face by Jose Mourinho after the Manchester United boss insisted that David De Gea will be at Old Trafford next season.
The news will be a kick in the teeth for the European champions who had been increasingly confident that they would be able to lure De Gea to the Bernabeu before the start of the new season.
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Not so, says Mourinho, who declared in his customary bullish way: "I can guarantee he’s not going this season, that I can. My feeling is it will be very difficult for him to go. He’s a very honest boy, very straight."
Admitting that he had been prepared to allow De Gea to leave, Mourinho revealed that the Spanish goalkeeper made it clear he wanted to stay. "The feeling from him is really, really good, I see him happy and 100 per cent he stays with us."
According to the Mirror, Mourinho is "desperate" to sign at a couple more players before the new season starts, but he’s not having an easy time opening up lines of communications with potential targets.
"Players belong to clubs, the players are in their seasons, and the managers and the owners are not happy if you speak about them, the same as me," said Mourinho, who has so far only signed Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof this summer.
"The market is very difficult and if the club has no chance to give me the four players then so be it."
One player United are still courting is Inter Milan ace Ivan Perisic, whom the Daily Express says will be allowed to leave Italy if a satisfactory offer is tabled. Manager Luciano Spalletti is quoted as saying: "He is a fantastic player and if his future was totally up to me, I would definitely keep him. However, if an offer comes and the club are satisfied with the money, which will be used to invest in and strengthen the team, he could leave."
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