Manchester United's hopes of keeping David De Gea could be increased after Real Madrid were hit with a transfer ban by FIFA.
Real, along with neighbours Atletico Madrid, were given a two-window ban from registering players, which is due to cover the summer 2016 and January 2017 windows, after FIFA deemed them guilty of breaching rules in recruiting young players.
Atletico have already confirmed that they are appealing the punishment, which does not cover the current January 2016 window, and AS suggests Real are set to follow suit.
Should the sanctions stand, Real would have to complete a deal this month or wait until the 2017-18 season.
The 10-time European champions tried to sign the Spain goalkeeper last summer, but a £29 million move, which would have seen Keylor Navas go to Old Trafford, broke down at the end of the transfer window when paperwork was not submitted in time.
The former Atletico player then signed a new four-year contract, with the option of a further year, but United have not disclosed whether it contains a release clause.
While Real would be able to sell players during a transfer ban, they would be unable to register replacements, making them less likely to part company with key figures.
That could dent United's chances of signing targets from the Bernabeu such as Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.
Bale is a long-standing target of United, who bid for him when he moved to Spain in 2013, while the return of Ronaldo, who left Old Trafford in 2009, would be a popular measure of acquiring a superstar.
United also bid €40 million for defender Ramos in the summer, but he subsequently signed a new contract with Real.
It had been reported in Spain last month that Real president Florentino Perez was ready to sell key players including Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Ramos ahead of an overhaul of the squad.