Iker Casillas: Porto goalkeeper's career at crossroads
The Porto keeper is out of contract at the end of the season. He could yet stay on, but also has offers to leave. He'd like to remain in Europe...
Iker Casillas is at a crossroads. The goalkeeper is out of contract at FC Porto in just over two months' time, and it remains far from clear where he will be next season.
Casillas could yet sign new Porto contract...
Earlier this term, Casillas had appeared certain to leave the Portuguese club, having been out of favour with coach Sérgio Conceição for months. However, he has reclaimed the number-one jersey in recent times, and it remains very possible that the former Spain captain could stay on at the Estádio do Dragao...
A major stumbling block towards renewing the 36-year-old's Porto deal is his sizeable weekly wage, though. Indeed, the club have told him that he'll have to take a pay cut if they are to be able to afford to hold onto him.
Fans, club chief seemingly want Casillas to stay
However, the fans are very keen for him to remain, and have even launched a #RenovaCasillas ('Give Casillas a new contract') campaign on social media. "Who wouldn't want Casillas to stay?" Porto president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa has admitted, meanwhile. "I'm very happy to have him here with us. He's shown that he's a major asset to any club. Will he stay? I'd like it if he did."
Casillas' family is happy with life in Oporto
What's more, Casillas and his family are thought to be extremely well settled in Portugal, and his wife, Sara Carbonero, recently refused to rule out remaining in Oporto when discussing the keeper's future. "If we stay in Europe, we're closer [to Spain]," she said. "And if it's in the same city then perfect, because it already pretty much feels like home."
Casillas has offers worldwide, but would like to stay in Europe
Since leaving Real Madrid, Casillas has received a steady stream of offers from across the world: Major League Soccer, the United Arab Emirates, the Chinese Super League, Mexico... However, the World Cup winner is thought not to want to leave Europe, with Champions League football remaining a priority for the custodian.
Were he to depart Porto, he would be expected to seek out a club involved in next season's edition of the tournament. In January, he was linked with several, such as Premier League side Liverpool and Ligue 1's Olympique Marseille, whose sporting director is fellow Spaniard Andoni Zubizarreta.
