Shot stopper has lost his first-team place in the Spanish capital to Lopez.
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Real Madrid sporting director Zinedine Zidane will seek clear-the-air talks with unsettled goalkeeper Iker Casillas to prevent the Spaniard leaving the Santiago Bernabeu to join a Premier League club when the transfer window reopens for business in January, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
The experienced shot stopper’s future in the Spanish capital has been in doubt ever since former Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho dropped the 32-year-old to the substitutes’ bench last December, with compatriot Diego Lopez coming in to replace Casillas in goal.
And, despite Mourinho leaving the Spanish giants at the end of last season, his replacement at Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, has decided to stick with Lopez as his No 1 in the new campaign, leading to intense speculation that the Spain international could be about to quit los Blancos.
Casillas was linked with possible moves to either Premier League giants Arsenal or Manchester City during the recent summer transfer window, and the keeper may decide to try out a different career option in another league if he is still on the bench come the turn of the year.
However, former Madrid legend Zidane, who now works at Real, says that he will soon sit down with the captain of the club for face-to-face talks in order to resolve the issue: “I don’t believe Casillas will leave the club but it is better to have these conversations face to face.”