Real Madrid will play fair in pursuit of David de Gea, insists Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is convinced that Real Madrid won't adopt any underhand tactics if they make a fresh bid to sign David de Gea from Manchester United in the summer.
Reports in the Spanish media this week suggested that Madrid have targeted the United goalkeeper or Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois to replace Keylor Navas at the Bernabeu, quoting De Gea saying ambiguously that 'the future nobody knows'.
Real's last move for De Gea collapsed on deadline day in the summer of 2015 with president Florentino Perez and his right-hand man Jose Angel Sanchez becoming embroiled in a public row with the United hierarchy.
Real Madrid have previously expressed an interest in signing Spain goalkeeper David De Gea
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is not concerned of underhand tactics from Real
Relations between the two clubs had deteriorated in the build-up to Cristiano Ronaldo's then world record move to Madrid in 2009, with Sir Alex Ferguson famously declaring: 'Do you think I would get into a contract with that mob? Jesus Christ, no chance. I wouldn't sell them a virus.'
Mourinho insisted on Friday that De Gea is happy at Old Trafford. But the United boss, who spent three years in charge at the Bernabeu under Florez, claimed their friendship is strong enough that any negotiations between the two clubs over potential transfer deals this summer will be honest and above board.
'I am not going to speak about hypothetical things,' he said. 'The only thing that is real is that he is my player. I am happy with him, I know that he is happy with me, and there is absolutely nothing else.'
Asked if the De Gea reports are the start of a typical Madrid campaign to unsettle the player, Mourinho said: 'With Mr Perez and his right arm Jose Angel Sanchez, they are some of the people in football that I can say I did not work for them and then it is over.
Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Madrid caused frictions between the two clubs back in 2009
Mourinho has revealed he expects Zlatan Ibrahimovic to remain at United for the next season
'I can say that we are friends forever, big friends. I like them a lot. Friends speak. Friends are open, friends are honest.
'So if at the end of the season I want one of their players or they want one of our players we will not do it through the press that we are going to exchange messages.
'We will be very direct. So they are one of the clubs that I am not worried about at all.'
Mourinho, who reassured United fans that leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic will still be at the club next season, confirmed that he has already drawn up a hit-list of transfer targets for United chief Ed Woodward and the Glazer family.
'I know the players I want,' he said. 'I am not going to tell Mr Woodward and the Mr Glazers "bring me (Lionel) Messi". I know exactly what I want and I know what I want is possible.'
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