The Bernabeu outfit have reportedly made four players available for sale before the end of the month - including Van der Vaart - following the arrivals of Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Angel di Maria, Pedro Leon, Sergio Canales and Ricardo Carvalho.
And as a result, Old Trafford supremo Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to have made enquiries about Van der Vaart's situation, with a view to making him his final signing of the summer.
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The former Ajax starlet faced the axe a year ago after Real brought in Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso, with former Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini not even assigning Van der Vaart a squad number.
However, while fellow countrymen Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder departed for Bayern Munich and Inter Milan respectively, Van der Vaart vowed to stay and fight for his place.
The playmaker scored in a friendly against Standard Liege earlier this week, stating after the game that he was confident that the arrival of Ozil from Werder Bremen would not affect his position at the club.
"For me there is no problem with Ozil arriving. I will fight for my place. The club has not spoken to me, but [manager Jose] Mourinho always tells us that we all have opportunities," he said.
"Being at Madrid is very hard, especially now, with the arrival of a player of great quality. But I want to stay and I know I'm going to play a lot."
But with competition for first team places set to be fiercer than ever, Van der Vaart has issued a come-and-get-me plea - of sorts - to the Red Devils.
“I could never play for another club in Spain and the truth is that if you are leaving Real Madrid, there is only one club you can join that is not a step down – and that’s Manchester United," he said in The Express.
“They are a huge club and if the reported interest they have in me turns out to be true, then I would really have to sit down and listen.
“If Manchester United could offer me first-team football with the situation as it is at Madrid, it would be very hard to turn down. Alex Ferguson is a great coach and I would never think about joining a team where I didn’t believe I could win things, so all of a sudden that limits your choices.
“At Manchester United you know success is likely and that’s a big factor for me at this stage of my career.
“If Mourinho makes it clear I won’t play much, I see my future in English football.”
Having lost out on Ozil, Ferguson had been tipped to renew his interest in the Dutchman, with Owen Hargreaves continually plagued by injury problems, Michael Carrick struggling for form and both Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in the twilight years of their careers.
