Cape Town - Juventus are planning to open talks with Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea in the hope of signing him on a free transfer next summer.

The Bianconeri pulled off something similar when luring former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey to Turin on a free transfer and are planning to do the same with the Reds stopper.

The future of De Gea remains up in the air and there is a growing feeling that his time at Old Trafford could be coming to an end as the clock ticks on his contract.

The Spaniard has not been at his best, resulting in him being dropped to the bench by the Spanish national side on Thursday night, but United still view him as one of the best and are keen to secure his future.

It has been claimed that United are willing to offer De Gea as much as £350 000 a week, which would make him the biggest earning goalkeeper in world football, but he could still turn it down.

De Gea could now stall on the contract up until January when he would then be free to negotiate with European clubs over a move at the end of the season, and this is where Juve would step in.

The Old Lady have also been heavily linked with moves for fellow United stars Nemanja Matic and Eric Bailly, but De Gea looks to be their number one priority as they sense they can land him on a free transfer.

Juve are now a huge power in European football, despite the fact that the Champions League continues to elude them.

They showed that when snapping up Cristiano Ronaldo two summers ago, and when signing the in-demand Matthijs de Ligt from under the noses of their rivals in this latest window.

They will be just as hopeful of landing De Gea, and it would appear that United now face a huge battle trying to get him tied down to a new deal.

- TeamTalk Media