The suspicion among sensible Manchester United supporters is clear: David de Gea has played his last match for the club. The goalkeeper's slow departure from the pitch against Arsenal may not have included the slightly affected farewell wave that Radamel Falcao offered to the stands, but the writing is on the wall.
The biggest concern for some is that De Gea may leave the Premier League for a smaller fee than he arrived. "We might as well keep him for a season and then let him go on a free," will be the view of unrealistic fans. Sorry folks, but football has changed. Jorge Mendes, De Gea's agent and finger-in-every-pie extraordinaire, is not a man to cross. There is already talk of a United bid for Fabio Coentrao; I'll let you have one guess at the left-back's agent.
The only person to have kept silent in the discussion over his immediate future is De Gea himself, and inaction speaks louder than words. De Gea's contract remains unsigned. Even Louis van Gaal has admitted that Manchester United must start planning for life after De Gea.
"I analyse his position and then I say he is Spanish, he is Spanish international," Van Gaal said following the Arsenal draw. "Now a Spanish club is coming, his girlfriend is Spanish. His mother or father comes every week or two, so it is difficult."
Not just any Spanish club either, but the steamroller that is Real Madrid and Florentino Perez. Muscles have already been flexed in Madrid, with the club's media allies running stories claiming that De Gea has already agreed personal terms in the Spanish capital. Marca's front page on Saturday simply read 'Done Deal'. There is no club quite like Madrid for 'unsettling' an opposition player. Who said tapping up? Did you say tapping up? I certainly didn't.
As Liverpool are finding out to their cost with Raheem Sterling, there is a cartel of clubs who exist at the top of the food chain. To Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, all others below them are fair game. They are the carnivore predators of European football. That is the reality (sad or otherwise) of modern football.
Even within this exclusive cartel, European football's financially 'bloated elite, there exists a leader; a leader who calls the Santiago Bernabeu home. United have already suffered Real's extended bouts of transfer aggression during the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the same will occur with De Gea. The risk you take when signing any Portuguese, Spanish or South American is that, when they excel, Senor Perez will come knocking. The pounding will grow in intensity until the door is swinging from its hinges.
Crucially with Real Madrid, this only seems to work one way. United were able to recruit Angel Di Maria last summer, but only the most optimistic fan would claim that Real were desperate to keep hold of him. The saga over Gareth Bale promises to follow a similar path. Bale can sign for United, but only with the president's say-so. Nobody 'forces' a move out of the Bernabeu.
It's easy to see why the move is attractive to De Gea. The decline of Iker Casillas has been played out in ugly public fashion, with different factions in the Bernabeu stands either decrying or lauding the goalkeeper. At times it feels like the thumbs up or thumbs down to decide the fate of a gladiator in Rome's Colosseum.
De Gea has the chance to unite the socios behind their new No. 1. He is loved by United supporters, but adequately replacing San Iker brings a whole new level of worship in his home city. In doing so, he would also almost guarantee his place as Spain's long-term No. 1.
On a personal level too, the move makes sense. De Gea's girlfriend and his close family still reside in Spain. Being able to move to one of the greatest clubs in the world and be closer to his loved ones strikes me as a more than happy medium. Those clinging onto De Gea's previous association with Atletico as a reason not to join Real should remember that he left the Vicente Calderón after one full season in the first team.
Against such logic, the desperate hopes of Manchester United supporters seem wasted. Having tempted De Gea from the Spanish capital nearly four years ago, it seems wholly likely that they will suffer the vice versa fate this summer. Holding on to De Gea in the wake of Real interest appears a Sisyphean task.
Rather than trying to turn back the tide, United must grudgingly accept their fate and plan accordingly. This is the tale of Real Madrid getting their own way; stop me if you've heard it all before...
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