GOAL

David de Gea could accept the offer of a new long-term contract at Manchester United after the spectacular collapse of his proposed move to Real Madrid on Monday.

The goalkeeper looked destined to join the 10-time European champions in a £29 million deal on the final day of the Spanish transfer window but Madrid submitted the final paperwork for the move 28 minutes after the deadline, leaving the move in tatters, and the two clubs have since blamed each other for the mix-up.

Since Monday's episode De Gea, who was said to be hugely disheartened by the failure of the two clubs to get the deal done, has been in regular contact with his agent, Jorge Mendes, to discuss the possibility of signing a new contract at Old Trafford in a bid to protect his international future.

United originally raised the possibility of a new deal during the 2014-15 season, only for Mendes to insist that De Gea's plan was to leave the club rather than sign again at Old Trafford.

But De Gea has yet to feature this season for United after manager Louis van Gaal deemed the 24-year-old to be lacking in focus amid the constant links with Madrid, and Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has since warned that the keeper cannot expect to be picked for his national side in the lead-up to next summer's Euro 2016 finals if he is not playing regular club football.

As a result De Gea has apparently softened in his stance towards United, and he could agree to a new deal in light of his expiring contract having just 10 months to run.

Such a move could jeopardise any hope he has of eventually signing for Real given the current relationship between the two clubs, but De Gea and Mendes are now said to be very much focusing on the immediate issue of the player's desire to play football. 

A renewal for De Gea would also give Keylor Navas - who was due to join United as part of the transfer - further time to establish himself as Madrid's first choice, allowing him the opportunity to win the affections of the Santiago Bernabeu public as club legend Iker Casillas' successor.

De Gea is currently on international duty with Spain ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia on Saturday and Macedonia on Tuesday, and the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper spent much of Tuesday chatting to club and international colleague Juan Mata in an attempt to clear his mind after Monday's dramatic turn of events.

And in a press conference on Wednesday, coach Del Bosque confirmed that De Gea's mood has lightened since arriving with La Roja.

"He is calm," Del Bosque insisted. "He is a couple of days removed from it all now. Now he is focused on the national team and he is being very professional. It is good for him to be here. His personality could even benefit from this because in times of stress you can come out performing much better."