Man United blink first on David De Gea – but why?

Spanish newspaper AS claim that Manchester United have lowered their initial demand of €46m for David De Gea.

They report that the Old Trafford hierarchy are now willing to accept €35m from Real Madrid for their world-class star, which represents quite a discount on the original valuation. But why this change of heart? Why have United apparently gone from a stance of being prepared to wait and let the keeper leave for nothing in summer 2016, to suddenly caving in to a significantly lower fee of around £25m? We look at a few possible reasons... They're doing it for De Gea's sake We'll level with you - this is incredibly unlikely. There's plenty of talk that David de Gea is s**tting himself ahead of returning for pre-season, but sympathy isn't one of Louis van Gaal's strong points. While the manager has been patient thus far, he's bound to want the Spaniard's future resolved sooner rather than later - which could mean ordering De Gea to get his head down and focus on helping United's title challenge. They've relented to aid a bid for Ramos Real may have made the first move in their dealings with United by expressing an interest in De Gea, but the Old Trafford club have countered in bold fashion with a reported £28.6m bid for Sergio Ramos. If De Gea's head is already at the Santiago Bernabeu, then expediting a swap deal perhaps make sense. After all, a back-line led by Ramos with Victor Valdes between the sticks is no bad thing. They've lost their marbles David Moyes; six-year contract. Marouane Fellaini; 27 million pounds. It's a possibility. They don't want a glum face in the squad De Gea doesn't necessarily seem the sulky sort, but it's rarely a good idea for clubs to hang on to unhappy players, risking their discontent spreading like a disease throughout the squad. If United are no longer 'good enough' for De Gea, then it might be best to get rid ASAP instead of letting the issue drag on. Player power is everything in the modern game - as United learned with Cristiano Ronaldo - and as soon as De Gea made up his mind, it was always going to be difficult to convince him to stay. The story is made-up b*llocks A transfer rumour turning out to be b*llocks? Who would have thunk it? It seems strange, though, that a Madrid mouthpiece would whip the club's fans into a frenzy with the news that De Gea's move might be close, only to risk letting them down. Perhaps AS hope their influence is stronger than it appears, running an editorial that will finally force Real and United into action amid an ongoing stand off.