De Gea’s future uncertain after botched transfer

MADRID — Real Madrid said yesterday they had done everything necessary to complete the transfer of goalkeeper David De Gea from Manchester United before Monday’s midnight deadline.

The Spain goalkeeper was facing an uncertain future after the transfer paperwork apparently failed to arrive at the Spanish league by the deadline, media reports said, but Real said in a statement that the delay was not their fault.

They said the English club took too long to review the transfer contracts and were late submitting the required documentation into FIFA’s electronic transfer system. In its lengthy statement, Real Madrid also blamed United for delaying the start of the transfer talks. “Real Madrid did everything necessary, and at all times, to complete these two transfers,” Real’s statement concluded.

Real and United had reportedly agreed for De Gea to return to La Liga, with Real’s Costa Rican keeper Keylor Navas going the other way.

However, when Spain’s La Liga declared the transfer window shut, there was still no official confirmation and reports later said that although De Gea had signed his new contract, the relevant documents had not arrived in time for him to be registered.

FIFA rules state that players can only be registered during one of two annual transfer periods — the other is in January — with the exception being if their contract has expired before the end of a registration period.

As things stand, however, De Gea, whose deal with United expires at the end of the season, could find himself out in the cold, at least until the end of the year.

As the transfer saga rumbled on, United coach Louis van Gaal left the 24-year-old former Atletico Madrid keeper out of the squad for the Premier League club’s opening games of the season, with Argentina international Sergio Romero playing instead.

Van Gaal had said the Spanish goalkeeper had his heart set on a move back to his hometown.

West Ham were the biggest early movers on the final day of trading in Britain’s summer transfer window, taking midfielders Alex Song and Victor Moses on loan and buying Croatia striker Nikica Jelavic yesterday. Everton signed Argentine defender Ramiro Funes Mori from River Plate for £9.5 million (S$20.6 million) on a five-year deal, while Bournemouth took Crystal Palace’s Glenn Murray on a three-year contract for a reported £5 million.

Monaco forward Anthony Martial’s move to Manchester United also made headlines, with the deal reportedly worth at least £36 million, making the 19-year-old Frenchman the most expensive teenager in the history of the game.

Premier League clubs have already spent nearly £800 million in this window, which is close to breaking its record of £835 million set last summer, according to football finance expert Deloitte. AGENCIES