Keylor Navas: Madrid and PSG negotiate Areola swap deal
Club sources in France have backed up reports coming out of Costa Rica that the goalkeeper has said his goodbyes to Zidane, and is close to the move.
Keylor Navas has come to an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain and has already said his goodbyes to manager Zinedine Zidane. This was the report on Wednesday by Costa Rican newspaper La Nación, a story that has since been confirmed by club sources to AS.
Keylor to PSG agreed
The Real Madrid coach has been insistent that he was counting on the goalkeeper for this season despite the fact that he had named Thibaut Courtois as his number one. And it is that decision to make him sit on the bench, only filling in for injuries or less important fixtures, that has prompted Keylor to press for an exit. In addition to this, La Nación states that PSG await the arrival of the player in Paris in the coming hours, and although this has been denied by his representatives speaking to AS, we have since heard from club sources in France that they expect the deal to be concluded on Thursday.
Keylor has known since the end of last season that Zidane's first choice between the posts was the Belgian. This stance disappointed the Costa Rican after the service he had given and led him to say farewell to the Bernabéu. He had hoped that Madrid would help facilitate his departure and, as we reported, he wanted the club to pay him the remaining two years of his contract to allow him to leave for free, something that was swiftly refused. A transfer of around 20 million euros was the club's choice.
After Buffon announced he would be leaving the Ligue 1 champions, Leonardo and Thomas Tuchel were keen to bring in a new number one, and narrowed the decision down to two options: Keylor and AC Milan's Donnarumma.
Madrid negotiate Areola swap
Based on Keylor's involvement in preseason for Los Blancos, there was a feeling that he would be happy to remain on their books for at least another season, so much so that the club allowed Lunin to go on loan to Valladolid. A change of attitude and a clear message to his coach moved the situation again, one that is on the verge of being completed.
The Parisien giants are one of the few clubs that can pay the net 7 million euros that the player demands. With a list of potential replacements having been considered to come into the Santiago Bernabéu, the club are taking a more direct approach to finding Keylor's successor, negotiating for PSG's current stopper, Alfphonse Areola, to come the other way. At 26 years old (compared to the departing 32-year old) and with LaLiga experience with Villarreal, this could be a very sensible move, although Madrid fans will never forget the contribution Keylor made to the triple Champions League.