Suffering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, Thibaut Courtois will miss a significant part of the Real Madrid season. To replace him, the Spanish club has targeted David de Gea, who is currently a free agent. According to Sky Sports, the two parties are already in contact.
“After tests conducted on our player Thibaut Courtois, the diagnosis reveals a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days,” said the club from the Spanish capital in an official statement to announce the unfortunate news about their starting goalkeeper. While the duration of his absence has not been specified, the Belgian goalkeeper is expected to be out for several months, missing a substantial portion of the season.
Aware of the situation, the Merengue club has urgently begun the search for a new starting goalkeeper, as Ukrainian Andrey Lunin is not deemed capable of filling this role. The Madrid management already has a name in mind to replace Thibaut Courtois. That name is David De Gea, who is a free agent after the end of his tenure at Manchester United this summer. According to Sky Sports, contacts have already been established between the two parties. However, the 32-year-old Spaniard, who spent 12 years at Old Trafford, might not be Real Madrid’s only option.
The Merengue club reportedly has other options, including the Spaniard Kepa, who has an exit clause at Chelsea, but Bayern Munich is already monitoring him. Other names are circulating in the Spanish press to take on the role of backup in Thibaut Courtois’ absence. Two international goalkeepers are particularly mentioned: Giorgi Mamardashvili, the talented Georgian goalkeeper playing for Valencia, and Bono, the Moroccan international goalkeeper of Sevilla FC. Moreover, rumors reported by Cadena Cope suggest the possibility of a return of Keylor Navas to the ranks of Real Madrid.
