In a dramatic twist to the La Liga season kick-off, Real Madrid are reportedly in discussions with David de Gea, once Manchester United’s trusted goalkeeper, amid the aftermath of Thibaut Courtois’ shocking ACL injury, as understood by 90min.
Courtois’ unexpected injury blow, sustained during training just days before the 2023/24 La Liga curtain-raiser against Athletic Club at San Mames, is anticipated to sideline the Belgian shot-stopper for a significant part, if not the entirety, of the upcoming season.
While Andriy Lunin is poised to step up as Courtois’ immediate replacement, Madrid’s squad depth in the goalkeeper department is alarmingly thin. The only other senior option is 24-year-old Lunin. Behind him, Lucas Canizares, aged 21, waits in the wings, yet remains untested on the big stage, having only been named on the bench sporadically last season.
With de Gea recently becoming available after his tenure at Manchester United concluded this June, Los Blancos seem eager to capitalise. The 32-year-old custodian, previously eyed by Saudi Pro League and Bayern Munich following Yann Sommer’s switch to Inter Milan, might just find his way back to his hometown.
Madrid-native de Gea’s football journey began with city adversaries Atletico, where he rose to prominence and earned his senior team debut in 2009. By 2011, Manchester United, envisioning him as the perfect successor to Edwin van der Sar, secured his services.
Though he faced initial challenges adapting to English football, by 2013, de Gea had a Premier League medal around his neck and was widely regarded as the globe’s finest between the posts from 2014 to 2016. Notably, it was during this zenith of his career that murmurs of a Real Madrid move grew louder, reaching fever pitch in 2015.
That summer, de Gea, with just a year left on his contract, was heavily linked to a switch to the Bernabeu. A £29m deal involving Keylor Navas switching to Manchester seemed done and dusted. However, in what can only be described as football’s most infamous administrative error, a tardy fax led to the deal’s implosion. Soon after, de Gea renewed his vows with Manchester United.
Now, almost a decade later, fate may have orchestrated another dance between de Gea and Real Madrid.
