Real Madrid offer timeline for why Manchester United at fault in De Gea fiasco, but questions remain

Real Madrid were first to issue an explanatory timeline of events from Monday night that outlined what broke down in the David de Gea transfer - but is ultimately unclear on a few issues.

David de Gea shown during a Premier League match last season against Everton. Carl Recine / Action Images / Reuters / April 26, 2015

Real Madrid released a statement in Spanish on Tuesday explaining Manchester United's fault in the botched David de Gea transfer and absolving themselves of any blame in the process. With an agreed deal on Monday night, Real Madrid contend Manchester United's feet-dragging ultimately extended filing necessary paperwork past the European transfer deadline and nullified the deal in the eyes of La Liga.

The transaction would have brought Keylor Navas, the current Madrid keeper, back to United.

Madrid, in issuing the 10-point statement, outline events roughly as follows:

– 1:39pm Spanish time on Monday (3:39 UAE): After Real Madrid and Manchester United reached a “quick agreement” according to the statement, the documents were prepared and contracts worked out with the Spanish club forwarding the necessary transfer documents to United “with sufficient time for the Transfer Matching System” and the signing off of the LFP.

– 9:43pm Spanish time Monday: “Manchester United send their review of both contracts eight hours later.” Small changes, the statement says, were included, but were ultimately unimportant and Real Madrid accepted them immediately, with sufficient time for the players, the TMS and the LFP to finalise proceedings.

– 11:32pm Spanish time Monday: With the agreements of De Gea and Navas obtained, presumably after the players and their agents have spent a couple hours in review and approval, Madrid are waiting for United’s final sign-off.

– 11:53pm Spanish time Monday: Manchester United and Navas have worked out a final agreement, presumably hammering out some last-minute changes to his contract.

– Midnight Spanish time Tuesday: Manchester United file the documents in TMS of David de Gea – but not Keylor Navas who can, of course, be registered at United well into Tuesday, and simultaneously send the transfer contracts to Madrid.

– 12:02am Spanish time Tuesday: Real Madrid receive “full documentation” and try to access the TMS, only to find it has closed.

– 12:26am Spanish time Tuesday: The TMS invites Real Madrid to file the documents for David de Gea, because the signing period in England is still open. At that time, knowing the possibility of a legal course in this matter, Madrid send documents to LFP even though they know the time period has expired.

Real conclude they did “everything necessary in every moment to try to finalise these two transfers”.

The Madrid timeline, of course, is not entirely clear in its descriptions of Monday night’s events. It would appear to pin blame on United for waiting untli the very stroke of midnight to access the TMS and send the final contracts. But even if one can guess, Madrid don’t say what was going on for two hours from roughly 9:30-11:30 local time. The 20-minute gap between when Madrid say they had agreements from the players and United apparently reached an amended agreement with Navas is unexplained.

Further clarification from Manchester United is expected either Tuesday night or in the coming days. Few expect Fifa, Uefa or some other authority to usher the transfer through post-deadline at this stage.

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