Real Madrid are set to launch one last push as they attempt to finally seal the signature of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.

Talks between Madrid and United have been deadlocked for several weeks after the Old Trafford club insisted that they will only sell the goalkeeper for a fee in the region of £33 million.

Despite United's hardline stance, Sportsmail understands that both Madrid and De Gea remain confident they will strike a compromise in the closing days of the transfer window. There is still, however, significant work to do at the negotiating table.

David de Gea (right) has remains confident of a move away from Manchester United to join Real Madrid

Louis van Gaal has not chosen De Gea for Manchester United this season due to doubts about his focus

Madrid believe United's valuation is unrealistic for a player whose contract expires in ten months time and whose relationship with United manager Louis van Gaal is at breaking point.

The Dutchman has accused De Gea of refusing to play for the club - a statement fiercely disputed by those close to the player - and he has ordered the Spaniard to train with the reserves on numerous occasions during the last couple of weeks.

New signing Sergio Romero has kept goal while De Gea has sat in the stands watching at home matches, while he has been told not to travel with the team to away games.

A behind-closed-doors fixture for the reserves is scheduled on Thursday afternoon against Ajax but as of the morning of the game, De Gea was not expecting to be involved.

Several United first-team players who require match practice - such as Marcos Rojo and Antonio Valencia - will be played, with the expressed aim of getting players up to speed for the rigours of first-team football.

De Gea, for his part, remains optimistic that he will be a Real Madrid player this time next week and he has been reassured by his agent Jorge Mendes throughout this exhausting saga.

So far this season De Gea has been left out, and Van Gaal has now told him not to travel to away games

United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward (left) is determined to appear strong in the transfer market

Mendes - the man expected to broker the deal - will be hoping to agree a figure closer to £25m.

United's position is defined by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward's desire to appear strong in the transfer market and it will be intriguing to see whether he is capable of maintaining that stance as Madrid crank up the pressure in the coming days.

Woodward's reputation in Spain has already been damaged by United's peculiar pursuit of Pedro, the former Barcelona forward that United tracked for months and who has now ended up at Chelsea.

De Gea, meanwhile, headed into training at Carrington once again on Thursday morning, this time having been stung by criticism from former team-mate Paul Scholes.

The former United midfielder hit out at De Gea on the back of manager Van Gaal's claims that the player had refused to play for the club.

'How can you lose focus?' Scholes said on ITV. 'That's the thing for me. He is getting paid by this club, it is a brilliant club.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes hit out at De Gea on BT Sport ahead of Wednesday night's game

'They paid a lot of money on a young keeper to give him this chance. If the manager is right and says he has lost focus then yeah, I think he is out of order.'

As Sportsmail revealed a fortnight ago, sources close to De Gea utterly refute the suggestion that he has refused, at any point, to play or train for the club.

They accept a meeting took place with goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek but say that De Gea told the Dutchman that he was more than happy to play if selected by the management team.

De Gea was left baffled by Van Gaal's claims and sources close to the player admit that he has been left 'hurt and irritated' by what he perceives to be unjust public criticism.

He feels that he has behaved appropriately throughout the saga. Unlike Angel di Maria, he did not fail to turn up for the tour in the USA and he has continued to train to what he believes to be his 'highest level', despite Van Gaal's accusations that he has lost focus.