Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas will depart the club at the end of the season, after growing frustrated with his role on the sidelines.
The Costa Rican has fallen behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order at the club since the Belgian arrived from Chelsea last summer, with just three La Liga appearances to his name this term.
Navas had been Madrid’s number one during a stellar two and a half year period under former boss Zinedine Zidane, winning three consecutive Champions League titles in the process.
According to Don Balon, the 32-year-old still does not understand why the club decided to sign Courtois and he has now set his sights on a summer transfer to the Premier League to start playing regular football once again.
Navas does not believe he has a future at the Santiago Bernabeu and would rather experience a new challenge in England, with Arsenal, Tottenham, Watford and Crystal Palace all thought to be monitoring his situation closely – as per Don Balon.
Madrid have endured a miserable 2018-19 campaign so far, falling ten points behind arch-rivals Barcelona in the La Liga title race and struggling to live up to the high standards they have set as a team over the last few years.
Courtois hasn’t covered himself in glory either, but despite his mediocre displays for Los Blancos, he has retained the number one shirt, with Navas restricted in the main to Copa Del Rey duties.
A Premier League switch in the near future could see Navas finally earn the credit he deserves and if he were to join either Arsenal or Spurs, he would still be afforded the opportunity to play in Europe.
There is no doubting that the Costa Rica international is one of the world’s finest goalkeepers and how he has been treated at Madrid is not befitting a player of his quality.
English football fans will surely be relishing the prospect of Navas plying his trade in the Premier League next season, but for now, he will have to stay focused on maximising his final few months in Madrid.
