Casillas future in doubt as Real happy to axe keeper.The likes of Arsenal and Manchester City could be on alert as Real Madrid have lowered their asking price for Iker Casillas to just £10m after his disastrous performances for Spain at the World Cup, CaughtOffside understands.
The 33-year-old has long been regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and even one of the best of all time, but he has endured a nightmare couple of years after falling out of favour at Real Madrid and then looking badly out of form for his country in Brazil this summer.
Casillas initially lost his place in the Madrid starting lineup while Jose Mourinho was still in charge at the Bernabeu, though he remained out of favour with his successor Carlo Ancelotti for much of this season as well, before finally looking like reclaiming his place towards the end of the campaign, helping Real to victory in the Champions League.
Still, rumours persisted that the Spanish giants could be ready to let Casillas leave for the right price, with rumours circulating earlier this year that he could move for around £20m, though it now looks as though the club have halved their asking price for the unsettled star, as they fear they would not realistically be able to convince anyone to pay more.
Arsenal and City remain fans of Casillas, and his fine reputation in the game will surely mean someone will take a gamble on him in case they can get him back to his best again, but Real are seemingly convinced that his career at the very top level is over.
Big names such as Chelsea’s Petr Cech and Manchester United’s David de Gea have been linked with moves to the Bernabeu in recent times, and with the club working on bringing in replacements, Casillas’ time as number one for the club he has been with for his entire career is surely up.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal and City will come in for Casillas at this stage, with Wojciech Szczesny and Joe Hart currently looking well established as their respective first choices between the sticks, but such a low asking price for such a big name is bound to attract some interest in the coming months.
If Real do manage to sign de Gea from United, it may be that they will try to offer their unwanted shot-stopper in return to push a deal through.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Richest ClubsIn World Football