Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has implored the Red Devils to tie David de Gea down to a new contract as soon as possible.
De Gea has starred for Manchester United since arriving from Atletico Madrid back in 2011 and has become a mainstay in goal.
But the Spaniard's future is up in the air amid repeated rumours he could leave Old Trafford during the summer transfer window, with the 28-year-old only contracted until the end of the 2019/20 season.
Real Madrid are reported to be ready to renew their interest but ahead of United's Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Barcelona, Ferdinand issued a strong transfer message to the club's board in regards to De Gea's future.
Asked if United can afford to lose De Gea this summer, Ferdinand told BT Sport: "I wouldn’t say so. I think they need to get that bit of business done as soon as possible.
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"In the last few years he’s been the best goalkeeper on the planet. If you’re going to try build a title-winning or title-challenging team, you get the foundations right and he’s right in the mix of that foundation that they need to sort out."
On De Gea, former United and Barcelona striker Henrik Larsson added: "Every great team needs a great goalkeeper and he’s a great goalkeeper."
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