Former Real Madrid player Santiago Canizares has warned Los Blancos against signing star goalkeepers David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois and have instead suggested to stick with current players Keylor Navas and Kiko Casilla.
“I do not think Real Madrid need a new keeper because the position is well covered with Keylor and Kiko Casilla,” he said.
“However, what I believe doesn’t matter because Florentino Perez is someone who usually doesn’t give up. He wanted De Gea in the past, it did not go well and it’s easy to predict that he will try to sign him again.
“I do not think that an investment of €40m (£34.2m, $42.1m) or €50m is justified because there is no such substantial difference between Keylor and them. But Florentino is not scared about those figures, he has proved it before. I think he still has a thorn in his side with De Gea [over his failed transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2015] and he’s going to try to sign him.”
Real Madrid have been heavily linked with both the goalkeepers as they have proven their mettle in Premier League over the past few years. However, it would be tough for the Spanish giants to lure the duo away as their respective clubs are keen to keep hold off him.
“People demand a lot from Keylor because he hasn’t had a big career path. His mistakes are not forgiven. I do not think he is playing bad but his last season was excellent, he was at the level of the best goalkeepers in Europe. But people have in mind that Barcelona have a great goalkeeper in [Marc-Andre ter Stegen] and that Atletico Madrid have a magnificent one in [Jan Oblak]… That’s why many people dream of having one of the European greats at Real Madrid. That’s why De Gea and Courtois have been linked,” Canizares added.
Having grown to be among the best in goalkeeping, David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois have drawn lot of interest from Real Madrid over the past few years and reports suggest that Florentino Perez is keen to go for distance to sign one of them this summer.
“De Gea and Courtois have had a bigger career path but whether they are better or worse than Keylor depends on form. Last year they were not better, but this year maybe they are. Many times in the big teams what really matters is the name, especially at Real Madrid. Florentino is exquisite in that sense, he always likes to have biggest names in the world. That’s why I suspect that Florentino will try to sign one of those two in the summer. He is not scared of paying big money and is one of those who likes to get the thorns removed as it is the case with De Gea.”
Speaking about de Gea situation at Manchester United, he added: “Manchester United are one of the most, if not the most, famous clubs in the world.
“I do not think that will influence De Gea’s decision. What is going to influence them is how far Florentino is ready to go, because luring either of them from Chelsea and United would demand a huge fee.”