During his press conference last Friday, Louis van Gaal left the ball firmly in David de Gea's side of the court as far as the goalkeeper's Manchester United future is concerned.
The Spanish international is out of contract at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016, but as Van Gaal revealed, the 24-year-old has been offered "a lot of money" to stay put.
Speculation of a move to Real Madrid will not go away, though, with Los Blancos said to be eager to replace Iker Casillas with the United custodian.
So, if the temptation of a return to his home city proved too strong for De Gea to reject, who could replace him? Here, Sports Mole has assessed the credentials of five contenders.
Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
© AFP
If recent reports are to be believed, 28-year-old Lloris is Van Gaal's number one choice to replace De Gea. While Manuel Neuer has made the 'sweeper-keeper' role fashionable of late, it's a quality that Van Gaal has demanded from his glovemen for some time.
Indeed, in Ronald Reng's book A Life Too Short about the late Robert Enke, he noted: "Frans Hoek (goalkeeping coach) shared a tone of voice with his boss, Van Gaal, as well as the conviction that a goalkeeper had to be the eleventh outfield player. The attack began with the goalkeeper, so he had to be able to pass, kick or throw the ball precisely and far-sightedly."
Lloris ticks that box, as well as possessing the athleticism to pull off the most unlikely of saves. The one sticking point could be the fee, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy known to drive a hard bargain. The fact that the French number one only extended his contract at White Hart Lane last summer also works in Tottenham's favour at the negotiating table.
Petr Cech, Chelsea
© Getty Images
It took Sir Alex Ferguson six years to replace Peter Schmeichel between the posts at Old Trafford. The Scot tried both youth and experience, but it was not until 34-year-old Edwin van der Sar arrived from Fulham in 2005 that the United defence could rest easy, safe in the knowledge that they had a keeper behind them who could be trusted.
Like Van der Sar, Cech has been there, done it and certainly owns the t-shirt. In fact, he has a much more impressive medal haul than the Dutchman had in England prior to his arrival, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
At the age of 32, the Czech Republic stopper has potentially another five or even six seasons at the very top. But will Jose Mourinho sanction the sale of such a good keeper to a domestic rival? That remains to be seen, although rumour has it that Cech's loyalty over the years may soften Mourinho's viewpoint.
Victor Valdes, Manchester United
© Getty Images
Of course, Van Gaal has a serial trophy-winning keeper in reserve. In January of this year and after a successful training stint with United, the fit again Valdes, who had recovered from a series knee ligament injury, signed an 18-month contract at Old Trafford.
They may have had their differences when the pair worked together at Barcelona, but Van Gaal saw enough in a young Valdes to hand him his debut. Upon departing the Camp Nou last summer, the 33-year-old said: "Thank you to Louis van Gaal, for showing the courage necessary to gamble on a talent that only he could see. He began building this historic Barca side, which I have been privileged to be part of. My heartfelt thanks."
Whether Van Gaal believes that Valdes can scale those heights post injury remains to be seen. His spell so far at United would suggest not, with the Spaniard still waiting for his debut, despite the Red Devils having faced the likes Yeovil Town, Cambridge United and Preston North End in the FA Cup.
Mattia Perin, Genoa
© Getty Images
Yet, were Van Gaal to place his faith in Valdes for a second time, the Dutch boss is then bound to be in the market for a back-up option - a player that can learn from someone of Valdes's experience.
In terms of promising goalkeepers, there are few in Europe currently that are showing more potential than Perin. He may be just 22, but the Italian international has shown maturity way beyond his years this term to help Genoa mount an unanticipated assault on Serie A's European places. Such performances, as well as the long hair, have drawn comparisons with Juventus and Italy great Gianluigi Buffon.
Of course, being so young, there are plenty of improvements for Perin to make. His distribution levels fall well below what is expected by Van Gaal, but with the United boss known to thrive at the prospect of seeing raw talents flourish, a move for Perin may fit the bill.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona
© Getty Images
With Valdes and Pinto both leaving on free transfers, last summer Barca were in the market for new keepers. They signed Claudio Bravo following a string of impressive performances for Chile at the World Cup, but it was the addition of Ter Stegen that was the most eye catching.
German football has a history, particularly recently, of producing high quality goalkeepers - Enke, Oliver Kahn, Andreas Kopke and Neuer to name four. He may have been aged just 22 when he made the move to Spain, but Ter Stegen's displays for Borussia Monchengladbach over the previous three campaigns had suggested that he has the ability to join his illustrious compatriots on the pedestal.
Yet, it's not worked out in Catalonia, with Ter Stegen instead playing the role of understudy to Bravo. A switch and a fresh start could appeal to the German, but Barca's transfer ban until the winter of 2016 could render a summer deal unlikely.
