5 things Real Madrid should do to sign David de Gea 

#2 Enlist Ana Botella to extol the virtues of Madrid

Ana Botella could invite David de Gea to a relaxing cup of cafe con leche.

Back in 2015, De Gea’s now-fiancee Edurne Garcia admitted that she was struggling to adapt to life in Manchester. A Spanish presenter put to her that it was “uglier than the back of a fridge,” and she didn’t correct him.

“It’s not very nice, that’s for sure,” she explained. “You have to hunt out specific places, the nicer places. But even then Spain is nicer.”

So if Real Madrid want to convince De Gea to come back to his homeland, perhaps their best route would be by leaning on his fiancee. They are both Madrid natives but maybe they need a refresher of its charms.

Former Madrid mayor Ana Botella would be just the women to provide it. She would tell them just how “fun” Madrid is, remind them that “no-one celebrates life like Spanish people do,” and perhaps even invite them for “a relaxing cup of cafe con leche in Plaza Mayor.”