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Manchester United will step up their bid to land Ajax’s Jasper Cillessen to replace David De Gea – on the advice of keeper coach Frans Hoek.

Hoek was asked to draw up a shortlist of candidates capable of taking over from De Gea after the Spanish international made it clear he wouldn’t be signing a new contract.

He named 26-year-old Dutch international Cillessen as his top choice. De Gea is heading for Real Madrid – if the Spanish giants give him assurances that current No.1 Iker Casillas is on his way out and they also meet United’s £30million valuation.

De Gea does not want to get embroiled in a battle for a place in the team with Real legend Casillas.

And as Sunday Mirror Sport revealed last month, Madrid are ready to pitch their initial bid at £15million for a player who is out of contract next summer.

(Image: Getty)

United would rather keep De Gea for the remaining 12 months of his deal than lose him now for half of the cash they will be looking for.

Cillessen has already been identified as his replacement by Hoek.

The Dutchman is a close confidant of United boss Louis van Gaal, having worked with him previously at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and with Holland.

He was instrumental in persuading Van Gaal to hand the 26-year-old his first international cap in 2013 and played a key role in the decision to put him ahead of Newcastle’s Tim Krul at the World Cup last summer.

Cillessen responded with some outstanding displays as the Dutch finished third. Ajax are already bracing themselves for a £20m offer from Old Trafford.

And Van Gaal has assured Ajax boss Frank De Boer – a close friend – that he will keep him informed of United’s intentions, as he did with Daley Blind last year.

Hoek, 58, is a big admirer of Cillessen’s textbook technique and has previously worked with top keepers like Edwin van der Sar, Pepe Reina, Victor Valdes and Vitor Baia.