David de Gea Transfer: Football's Biggest Gaffe

Speculation on David de Gea's future has been rife for a while. Reports had emerged on Spanish deadline day that Real Madrid were on the verge of finally getting their man. A deal in the region of £29m was agreed, including the transfer of Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas to Manchester United. To the Old Trafford faithful, the last straw following an increasingly disappointing transfer window.

However, a day later, it surfaced that Madrid had failed to submit the transfer documents before the deadline and the deal had collapsed. Real Madrid released an official statement, once and for all putting to bed speculation over David de Gea's future. He was to remain a Manchester United player.

What followed, was desperate face-saving, like we've never seen before. The official statement blamed Manchester United, stating they had only opened negotiations for the transfer of the player on deadline day and had submitted the full documentation two minutes past the deadline. It concluded with Real Madrid having done "everything possible to sign the player."

It could be seen as a petty, last-ditch effort to seem unperturbed and point the finger at United but it is not often that Real Madrid fail to sign a target. President Florentino Perez won the last election, running unopposed. The botched transfer was a serious blow for the man who prides himself on the Galacticos policy.

A few hours later, in a stunning tit-for-tat, Manchester United released their very own statement, hitting back at Real Madrid for not uploading the documents on time, claiming that Man United had held up their side of the bargain. The statement rather bizarrely ended with the club expressing their delight at retaining the services of a player, they had agreed to sell just hours before.

At the centre, however, is the story of two goalkeepers. One had his heart set on a move back to his home town. He was denied the transfer in outlandish circumstances and will now be expected to put in a shift for a club he was eager to leave.

The other, was slowly becoming a fan favourite after a string of impressive performances, only to be told he was merely a makeweight in a deal to sign his replacement.