United unwilling to let De Gea go

MANCHESTER United have no intention of letting Real Madrid target David De Gea leave this summer.

Signed from Atletico Madrid six years ago, the 26-year-old has established himself as one of the world's best goalkeepers.

De Gea's performances have led to admiring glances from the Spanish capital, with Real interested in signing a player they come close to buying in 2015.

A deal worth £29million plus Keylor Navas was agreed but the relevant paperwork was not completed before the deadline, with the goalkeeper instead signing a new four-year deal with an option to extend it by a season.

STRONGER

Similar background noise regarding Madrid's interest has been building in recent months, but United are understood to now feel in a far stronger position than two years ago when De Gea only had a season left on his deal.

The goalkeeper is said to be happy at Old Trafford, which will welcome Champions League football next season after Jose Mourinho's men added Europa League glory to their EFL Cup and Community Shield triumphs.

The future of United captain Wayne Rooney and top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic's future remains unclear, while Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia have recently signed new deals.

It is understood that United are targeting three or four high-quality summer acquisitions, as Mourinho looks to turn his side into title contenders.

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann is said to be top of his summer wishlist, while Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic, Burnley defender Michael Keane and Chelsea's Nemanja Matic are also reported to be on United's radar.

Meanwhile, the Premier League's growing financial muscle is highlighted in the latest study of leading European clubs by professional services firm KPMG, with Manchester United taking top spot for most valuable club.

Now in its second year, the report looked at the finances of 39 clubs based on their popularity on social media channels, revenues for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, and success in European competitions.

The clubs were then ranked by enterprise value, an accounting measure used to assess how much it would cost to buy any given club or company as it includes a business's total debt, with KPMG using its own formula to reach these valuations.

VALUE

Despite two relatively disappointing seasons on the pitch between 2014 and 2016, United's value surged clear of Real Madrid and Barcelona last year, becoming the first club to break the ?3billion (£2.7b) mark for enterprise value.

United not only make more money than any other football club in the world, they also have nearly half a billion pounds of debt.

Bayern Munich remain in fourth place, while Manchester City edge past Arsenal to take fifth spot, both with enterprise values of just under £1.7b. Alisher Usmanov's recently rebuffed bid for the latter valued the North London club at £1.54b.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Spurs fill the next four positions, which means six of the 10 are from the Premier League.