Will Thibaut Courtois be Real Madrid’s Kepa alternative?
By Alex McVey
Real Madrid passed up on their opportunity to sign Athletic goalkeeper Kepa. Could Thibaut Courtois be Los Blancos’ next goalkeeper transfer target?
Real Madrid looked certain to sign young Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao. That deal has since collapsed. A combination of Kepa’s injury and Zidane’s stated lack of desire for the deal to go through lead the player to sign a new contract at Athletic Bilbao.
The failure of the Kepa deal may push Real out on the market for a new goalkeeper this summer. Keylor Navas hasn’t been poor of late, but he is getting up there in the years. Real Madrid will be beginning to think about a long term replacement for the No. 1 Goalkeeper spot soon.
One name that has been widely linked to Real Madrid since the Kepa deal collapse is Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. Courtois has been in an ongoing contract negotiation and still has not put pen to paper to renew with the Blues.
No formal offers or proposals as yet, but both Real Madrid and PSG are indeed sniffing around Thibaut Courtois again. Chelsea’s contract offer is still on the table, but no formal agreement has been reached as yet. #cfc pic.twitter.com/tbZkKBafke
— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) January 23, 2018
Guillem Balague has recently stated that Real Madrid have put the Belgian shot-stopper at the top of their summer transfer wish list. The Daily Star report that Courtois has told Chelsea that he wants a transfer to Madrid.
I think this would be a great move for Madrid. Courtois is a world class talent, and at 25, could command Madrid’s goal for years to come. Courtois already showed his merit once in the Spanish capital for Atletico Madrid, and has kept adding trophies to his CV since leaving for London.
While I would love this transfer to happen, I think Real Madrid are much more likely to go after Manchester United’s David de Gea, who would also be a great keeper.
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Fortunately, Real Madrid aren’t in a terrible position for the rest of the season. Kiko Casilla definitely isn’t up to the quality of Real Madrid, but Keylor Navas has been in decent form of late. Madrid absolutely missed out on Kepa, but Navas should be sufficient to see Madrid through the rest of the season.