De Gea confirms Man United offer

De Gea revealed that he was in discussions with the club on his Twitter account, stating: "I have been invited by Man U to see the club and the city with my family and to be given an offer."

Old Trafford supremo Sir Alex Ferguson has been a long-time admirer of the 20-year-old shot-stopper, and will be relieved that negotiations are seemingly drawing to a close.

Having progressed through the youth ranks at Atletico Madrid, De Gea made his debut for the club as a substitute in a Champions League tie against Porto in September 2009.

He established himself as Atletico’s first-choice goalkeeper towards the end of the 2009/10 season, and played in the Europa League final against Fulham.

De Gea, a European Championship winner with Spain Under-21s on Saturday, would have the task of replacing Edwin van der Sar. The Dutchman was an extremely popular figure around Old Trafford and has left big boots to fill.

The transfer fee is estimated to be around £18 million, which would take Manchester United’s spending in June to around £50 million following the arrival of Phil Jones and Ashley Young from Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa respectively.

By Josh Eves