Real Madrid eye €20m goalkeeper to replace Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois is expected to be out of action for the foreseeable future after the Real Madrid stalwart tore his ACL before the start of the 2023/24 campaign. It is very possible that he might not end up featuring this season at all, as an injury of this nature takes a long time to recover from. As a result, the club must keep their eye out for possible replacements.

They have been linked with some big-name goalkeepers recently like Kepa Arrizabalaga and David de Gea, while there seems to be interest in someone like Yassine Bounou as well. That kind of a signing would see the club opt for experience to replace Courtois.

On the other hand, another option would be signing someone young and with a lot of room to develop. So that he could potentially one day become the long-term replacement for Courtois and not just a short-term one.

As reported by SPORT, Real Madrid has “two lists” of players to replace Courtois. The first is made up of the veteran and proven. The second is considering younger and ‘economic’ profiles, such as Illian Meslier.

Real Madrid eye €20 million goalkeeper to replace Courtois

Meslier has been one of Leeds United’s standout players in recent years. The Frenchman was unable to prevent them from dropping back to the Championship though.

His three years in the Premier League were enough to catch the eye of some of Europe’s top clubs. And it looks like he might not remain at Leeds United for much longer. In fact, it is a bit of a surprise that some other team has not signed him already.

Someone like Meslier could be a solid addition to this Real Madrid. One has to wonder though if it would make sense to spend a significant transfer fee while De Gea is available as a free agent.