Report: Swap deal involving De Gea, Navas falls through after paperwork not filed in time
All summer, supporters of Manchester United and Real Madrid have waited patiently - and impatiently - for David De Gea to complete his transfer to his hometown club.
At long last, with the transfer deadline looming on Monday, it was reported that Real Madrid had reached an agreement with United that would see the Red Devils pocket roughly €35 million (£25.6 million), and it was also reported that Keylor Navas would indeed be part of the monumental deal, being sent to Old Trafford along with cash.
Related: Report - Manchester United, Real Madrid agree to fee for David De Gea
Then, Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague dropped a bomb.
According to the regular pundit on Sky Sports, the swap deal fell through at the last minute as the required paperwork was not submitted to the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) before Tuesday's deadline of midnight in the Western European Time Zone.
The documents did not arrive on time!!!!!! Presentation was ready. All agreed. But as it stands de Gea stays at MUFC!!
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 31, 2015
In a somewhat surreal twist, it was subsequently reported that United had sent the documentation on time but that the LFP was unable to open the files.
Now we are hearing that United did send the documents on time but in a format that couldn't be opened at the LFP. Windows 95?
— AS English (@English_AS) August 31, 2015
It should be noted that it was apparently Real Madrid's responsibility to get the paperwork to the LFP and not United's.
ESPN FC claims that if reports are accurate, United will retain De Gea, whose contract expires in the summer of 2016, until January but will miss out on the agreed fee. Bryan Swanson of Sky Sports, meanwhile, alleges that United may consider an appeal over the computer glitch that caused the delay.
Related: The mysterious paperwork - A timeline of the David De Gea transfer fiasco
The outcome of what can only be described as one of the biggest train wrecks in transfer history could be settled on Tuesday, when football's governing body, FIFA, will reportedly analyse the case.
La Liga says the documents did not arrive on time. Fifa will look at the case tomorrow. Both RM and United pushing for it to happen
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 31, 2015
As pointed out by Spanish football writer Sid Lowe, the end result essentially comes down to whether Real Madrid can persuade the LFP to register De Gea despite the late arrival of the paperwork.