Man United line up De Gea to replace Van Der Sar

Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Atletico Madrid's highly-rated young goalkeeper David De Gea to replace Dutchman Edwin van der Sar who will retire after this weekend's Champions League final.

"We've been working on it for quite a while, we identified him (De Gea) a while back as one we should go for," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports News.

"He's a young goalkeeper, very quick, with good composure and presence. He's an outstanding replacement for Edwin van der Sar," added the Scot of the 20-year-old keeper.

"We were looking for someone with the same types of qualities. One great quality Edwin always had was his composure and organisational ability.

"David De Gea is very similar that way."

United have been scouring Europe to find a replacement for Van der Sar who will step down after Saturday's Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley.

British media said an agreement was now in place for De Gea, who will cost up to 21 million euros ($29.60 million). Spanish media reported that an announcement is likely to be made on Monday.