The Goalkeeper Powder Keg: What David de Gea's Future Could Mean for Everyone Else This Summer

The subject of David de Gea's future will continue to dominate the news headlines for weeks and months, until he either decides to sign a new long term contract at Manchester United, or trade everything in for a Spanish homecoming to Real Madrid.

The subject of David de Gea's future will continue to dominate the news headlines for weeks and months, until he either decides to sign a new long term contract at Manchester United, or trade everything in for a Spanish homecoming to Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old seems genuinely torn about what he wants to do. He is happy in England and has never asked to leave United, but the pull of Madrid and a normal life with his family and girlfriend could be too much to refuse.

But it's not just de Gea's future that will be affected by the choice he makes this summer. As can so often the case in the transfer market, whatever he decides will likely set off a chain reaction of epic proportion, drawing in a number of top class goalkeepers from all across Europe in the process.

Assuming de Gea does opt to sign with Real, the first person affected will be long term number one Iker Casillas. The veteran has regularly been heckled by his own fans in recent years, sometimes to the point of visible anger on the pitch and many want to see him out of the door.

Casillas may not want to leave the club he's called home since the age of nine, but he must realise that de Gea, the future of Spanish goalkeeping, would be arriving to replace as number one. The 33-year-old has been pushed out before, notably losing his place to Diego Lopez in 2013. But on that occasion he always felt there was a chance of a reprieve. This time, however, there is a much stronger feel of permanency to proceedings.

An experienced goalkeeper like Casillas on the market would have a number of clubs falling over themselves for his signature. Arsenal are rumoured to be interested, while Liverpool may wish to pursue him as well. Casillas' availability could prompt one or both to ditch their interest in Petr Cech if they see the Spaniard as more attainable.

In the event that Casillas stays at Real Madrid behind de Gea, that would almost certainly end Keylor Navas' association with the Bernabeu - putting another stopper with proven quality onto the market. The Costa Rican would certainly be a good addition to many teams, although Arsenal and Liverpool in particular may not see him as enough of an improvement on what they already have.

De Gea's departure to Real Madrid would obviously leave Manchester United in need of a new number one. Some think that Victor Valdes could fill that job, but Louis van Gaal has implied he already has summer targets in case he finds himself in need.

Cech is certainly an option for the Old Trafford club, but top of the list is rumoured to be Tottenham number one and French international captain Hugo Lloris. The 28-year-old is thought to be itching to play in the Champions League again after three seasons away and has the level of quality United would be looking for.

Should United capture Lloris it would send Paris Saint-Germain looking elsewhere. The French champions have been showing interest in the Spurs player for some time, especially just prior to him signing a new contract last summer. Of course, if United miss out on Lloris it would obviously send them elsewhere too, or even back to Valdes.

The assumption either way is that PSG will have a new number one, leaving the future of Salvatore Sirigu far from certain. The Italian has been in Paris since 2011, but with the club looking to step up to the next level he may not feature in their plans. With Tottenham potentially needing to replace Lloris, Sirigu could end up at White Hart Lane, or again Arsenal and/or Liverpool could find him of interest.

All of those scenarios have the potential to arise if de Gea leaves Old Trafford, but even a decision to stay could still have big consequences for plenty of others.

Real are thought to be so keen to replace Casillas they may go after Cech if they miss their first choice. That move would still put Casillas on the market and perhaps force Arsenal to pursue him if Real provide too much competition for Cech.

With de Gea staying put, PSG could move unopposed for Lloris if they wanted to, or still battle for Cech with others. Real have also been linked with Lloris in the past, while Valdes may reconsider his position at United if there isn't going to be a future for him - a move to PSG has been touted in recent weeks.

Whatever David de Gea does this summer will be the first spark on what is effectively a goalkeeper powder keg ready to blow, but only time will tell exactly what.

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