Manchester United spin the wheel and finally let David De Gea join Real Madrid
MANCHESTER UNITED finally sold superstar David De Gea while taking a massive gamble on youngster Anthony Martial on a frantic day of transfer activity at Old Trafford.
De Gea, United's player of the year in the last two seasons, had been linked with a move to the Bernabeu all summer after refusing to sign an extension to his contract that was due to expire next year.
Initially, United dug their heels in and were only prepared to do business if they got Sergio Ramos or Gareth Bale in exchange - or Real paid a world record £35m fee.
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David de Gea is set to join Real Madrid with Keylor Navas moving in the other direction
But with De Gea frozen out by Van Gaal, who had accused him of being distracted by the transfer speculation, United were forced into a climb down just hours before the Spanish transfer deadline window closed.
They are understood to have received £22m in cash for De Gea with Navas valued at £7m.
Navas had held up the deal for several to think over the move to Old Trafford but United's contract offer of £9m a year - a huge leap on his £1.5m salary at the Bernabeu - plus assurances from Van Gaal that he will be his No 1 keeper convinced him it was the right move.
While De Gea was already in Spain for his country's internationals with Slovakia and Macedonia, 28-year-old Navas - who starred in last summer's World Cup finals in Brazil - will fly to Manchester today for a medical and to complete his move.
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Anthony Martial has made only 29 French League starts for Monaco
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The astonishing deal for Martial, which beats the previous record for a teenager of £31.8m that Paris St Germain paid for Brazilian Lucas Moura, took United followers by surprise and came just 24 hours after Van Gaal said he wouldn't panic buy following United's defeat at Swansea.
Martial, who started his career at Lyon, has made only 29 French League starts for Monaco, scoring 11 goals, but is now the third most expensive player in United's history after Angel Di Maria and Juan Mata. His £36m fee is 10 times the £3.36m Monaco paid for him only two years ago.
He is highly regarded in France however, where his pace and power have prompted comparisons with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
France boss Didier Deschamps, who handed him his first senior international call-up last week, gave him permission to fly to Manchester on private jet for a medical yesterday and complete a deal that takes Van Gaal's spending to over £260m in a just over a year in charge at Old Trafford.
Despite his age, Van Gaal hopes that Martial can ease the burden on Wayne Rooney, who has gone 10 Premier League games without a goal, and provide United with greater pace and penetration up front after their first four Premier League matches yielded only three goals.