David de Gea is the chosen one to be the next Real Madrid goalkeeper. The player earmarked by Vicente del Bosque for a "soft transition" to replace Casillas for Spain could also be Iker's successor at the Bernabéu.
'Los Blancos' and De Gea have agreed comprehensive terms, but the most difficult and tortuous part is yet to come - negotiations with Manchester United.
At the Real Madrid offices in Concha Espina, Florentino Pérez and those around him have been quite clear about the fact that signing a keeper for next season is a top priority. And they firmly believe that De Gea is going to be the Spanish no. 1 over the next ten years, and will take over from Casillas in due course.
The club rates this factor very highly, that whoever inherits the mantle from a legend such as Iker should also be a Spanish goalkeeper, someone who could follow in the veteran's distinguished footsteps for club and country. Once De Gea became aware that Real Madrid's interest was serious, the idea of renewing his contract with United, up in 2016, was dropped.
Since then, the shotstopper has rejected a string of big-money offers from the suits at Old Trafford, the last of which was worth €7.5 million a season after tax.
It is worth noting that De Gea's agent, Jorge Mendes, has a fantastic relationship both with Florentino Pérez and with the United owners. He was instrumental in the talks between Real Madrid and De Gea and now has a key role to play to broker a transfer. The Red Devils higher-ups do not want De Gea to go, but have had to face the fact that the Atlético academy graduate wants to leave. That doesn't mean they are going to make it easy, however… or cheap.
If it weren't for his contractual situation, De Gea, who turns 25 in November, would easily be worth €50m, as he is viewed as one of the top goalies in the world alongside Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer. United forked out €20m to prise him from the Calderón in 2011 and his stock has only risen since then. Real Madrid are willing to pay a world-record fee for a goalkeeper to land their man, but they remain hopeful that they can secure his signature for no more than €30m.
