Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has confirmed that he will "certainly not" sign Manchester United ace David de Gea in January following his botched summer move.
The Spanish goalkeeper looked on course to end months of speculation by joining the Blancos toward the end of the transfer window in a £29m deal that would have seen Keylor Navas head in the opposite direction.
However, delayed paperwork saw the move break down in the dying minutes of Spain's deadline, with both clubs blaming one another for the collapse, and Perez is adamant that he will not try again this winter.
"We will certainly not sign De Gea in January," he told Cadena COPE.
"Madrid did its job as best it could. We did not get there on time because Manchester does not have the necessary experience to tackle these things on the last day, as happened last year with Coentrao."
As a result, the 24-year-old - whose contract expires next summer - is expected to come back into Red Devils the fold, having been exiled by boss Louis van Gaal, and could start Saturday's visit of Liverpool.
Shane Callaghan
