David De Gea to Real Madrid: Goalkeeper could become sixth player to leave Manchester United for Los Blancos but how have they fared?

From David Beckham to Javier Hernandez, we look at how successful each United import has been at Real Madrid

Gabriel Heinze, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistlerooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Javier Hernandez and David De Gea (Getty Images)

Real Madrid want to sign David De Gea, that much is clear, and what the Spanish club want, they usually get. Even Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted this when he conceded they are losing the battle to keep hold of the goalkeeper this summer.

But if Real were to sign De Gea from United, he would not be the first player to swap Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu. In fact, there are a number of high profile names that have made the move for the sunnier climes of Spain, but have they gone on to be a success of a failure?

We take a look at the players who have joined Real from United and have joined an exclusive club of players that have turned out for two of the biggest clubs in European history.

Should De Gea join Real, he will become the fifth player to move from United to the Spanish greats, while only one player has moved in the opposite direction which came in the form of Angel Di Maria’s £59.7m transfer last summer.

Michael Owen is the only other player to have featured for both clubs, although he left Real for Newcastle before moving to United on a free transfer.