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David de Gea was adamant that he would not leave Manchester United empty-handed by moving on a free transfer.

The Spanish goalkeeper has just signed a new four-year deal after seeing a dream move to Real Madrid fall through on transfer deadline day.

The 24-year-old could have left for nothing next summer, but told teammates he had no intention of letting his contract run down.

Even before his proposed £29m move to the Bernabeu collapsed this month, De Gea discussed his intention to commit his future to United, rather than see out the remaining 10 months of his deal.

He duly agreed an extension that keeps him at Old Trafford until 2019, with the option of a further year.

While United are bracing themselves for another approach from Real at the end of the season, they are in a stronger bargaining position with De Gea tied down to a long-term contract.

While there are unconfirmed claims the agreement includes a £30m buyout clause, United would still be in line to make a profit on the player they signed for £18.9m in 2011.

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United were determined not to let their No1 leave for less than a world record fee for a goalkeeper in the summer, despite the risk of losing him for nothing next year.

They eventually agreed a deal with Real that also included Keylor Navas heading in the opposite direction. But an administrative mix-up saw the club’s fail to complete the transfer before the European deadline.