The blame-game between Manchester United and Real Madrid was one of the major talking points of transfer deadline day on Tuesday.
Spanish custodian David de Gea was all set for a move to Real Madrid, but the deal collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, after the Spanish transfer window had shut.
Reports emerged that the clubs organised all the paperwork and also got the necessary stamp from FIFA on the documents for the deal to go through, but the papers reached the Spanish Football Federation Headquarters after the transfer deadline.
According to Manchester United, they also uploaded all the necessary documents to the FIFA TMS (Transfer Matching System), and they insisted on doing everything in order for the transfer to take place smoothly, but it was the Madrid outfit who filed their documents to the Spanish league after the end of the deadline.
The La Liga giants came out with a statement yesterday afternoon to give their side of the story on the whole transfer row. They insisted that the Premier League side agreed to start negotiations for the player only on Monday, and the Red Devils insisted on agreeing to a deal only if Real custodian Keylor Navas went the other way.
The Full Statement released by Real Madrid:
1. Man Utd agreed to start negotiations yesterday [Monday].
2. Real Madrid initiated conversation.
3. Man Utd would only do deal if it included Navas.
4. Both clubs agree deal & Madrid send documents to Man Utd at 12.39pm.
5. United replied at 8.39pm asking for some changes which Madrid agree to immediately.
6. Madrid send contracts to Man Utd at 10.32pm & wait for Man Utd to send them back signed.
7. Man Utd agree deal with Navas at 10.53pm and then contract sent to Navas to sign.
8. Man Utd logged in on TMS to log details of De Gea deal, not Navas at 11pm, deadline point in Spain and simultaneously send contracts to Madrid. Madrid receive documents at 11.02pm and tries to access TMS but is closed down.
9. 11.26pm TMS invites Madrid to introduce details of De Gea because the transfer deadline is next day. Madrid, in case there was room to get done, decide to send contracts to league even though they know deadline has passed.
10. Madrid have done everything they could at all times for deal to take place.
Manchester United soon replied to the above pointers put out by the Madrid outfit by releasing a statement of a similar format. The club reiterated that De Gea has remained a key member of the Red Devils roster, and the they did not want to sell him.
The Full Statement released by Manchester United:
- Manchester United did not seek contact from Real Madrid for the sale of David. David is a key member of our squad and the club's preference was not to sell.
- No offer was received for David until yesterday.
- At lunchtime yesterday, Real Madrid made its first offer to buy David. A deal was agreed between the clubs, which included Navas being transferred to Old Trafford. The deals were dependent on each other.
- In the last several hours of the process, with Navas at the Real Madrid training ground, Real Madrid were controlling the documentation processes of David, Navas and Real Madrid. Manchester United was in control only of the documentation of Manchester United.
- Manchester United sent transfer documents for both players to Real Madrid at 20:42 BST. David's documentation was returned by Real Madrid to Manchester United without the signatory page at 22:32 BST.
- At 22:40 BST, minutes before the deadline, major changes to the documentation came through to Manchester United which immediately put the deals at risk.
- Only at 22:55 BST were the documents that are needed to cancel David's contract received by Manchester United from Real Madrid.
- At this point Navas' documentation was still not returned by Real Madrid.
- At 22:58 BST, the transfer agreement was sent back by Manchester United, uploaded onto TMS and accepted – all before the deadline.
- It is our understanding that the deals couldn't happen because:
Real Madrid didn't upload David's documents onto TMS in time (Manchester United did)
Real Madrid didn't upload David's documents to the Spanish league in time, per reports it seems some 28 minutes after the deadline
- The fact that Manchester United filed the papers on time was acknowledged by the Football Association, who offered to support that claim in any discussions with FIFA. The club offered this assistance, as well as its own timestamped documents to Real Madrid but they have chosen not to go down this route.
