3 goalkeepers who can break Alisson's world record fee

Liverpool Unveil New Signing Alisson
Alisson shattered the previous record of the most expensive goalkeeper

A long drawn out saga for AS Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker came to an end after the Brazilian eventually completed a move to Liverpool on a six-year contract. Alisson, who only made his debut for Roma this season, has probably been the most in-demand keeper this summer. Chelsea and Liverpool were involved in a bidding war which was finally won by the club from Merseyside.

The whole world knew of Liverpool's goalkeeping issues as Simon Mignolet's glaring errors since Pepe Reina's departure had cost them crucial points and wins. The signing of German Loris Karius was supposed to ensure a stable pair of hands between the sticks, but his deficiencies have been exposed time and again too, none more than the two blunders he made in the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid.

This left Klopp with no choice but to spend big to get an assuring keeper to spearhead their title charge. Klopp identified that Alisson would be the man that they would go after and he has finally made the move from Italy to England.

While the deal was always on throughout the summer, what has astounded the footballing world is the eye-watering sum Liverpool forked out to capture the Brazilian. Much to everyone's surprise, they ended up paying a fee of £65 million to bring the Brazil keeper to Anfield - making him the most expensive goalkeeper of all-time. The fee has eclipsed the £34.7 million fee that Manchester City had paid to bring Alisson's compatriot Ederson to Etihad Stadium.

This signing will have massive repercussions on the transfer market as this will begin to inflate the prices of other players in the transfer market. This signing has set a trend as we could see goalkeepers being signed at such exorbitantly high prices. In this article, we take a look at three goalkeepers who could command a higher transfer than the fee Alisson was signed for-


#3 Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)

Gianluigi Donnarumma of Ac Milan greet the fans at the end...
Gianluigi Donnarumma could be Gigi Buffon's successor at Juventus

Gianluigi Donnarumma has been a record breaker right from the time he made his debut as a 16-year old, when he became the second youngest goalkeeper to make his debut in Serie A. Donnarumma has only grown in stature since then and has established himself as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the game. He also became the youngest goalkeeper to play for Italy and his countrymen know that their future is in safe hands thanks to his reassuring presence.

Donnarumma is an imposing figure between the sticks thanks to his height and reach, mental strength, quick reflexes and terrific handling of the ball. The 19-year old shot-stopper has remained as one of the bright spots despite AC Milan going through one of its worst phases in it's long and glorious history.

AC Milan's struggles could see him leave the club in search of trophies and success, and if he does decide to leave San Siro, a number of clubs will line up to secure his services and this could also see his price shoot up above Alisson's fee.

#2 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)

Olympique de Marseille v Club Atletico de Madrid - UEFA Europa League Final

Jan Oblak was signed by Atletico Madrid from Benfica for a fee of €16 million, which made him the most expensive goalkeeper in La Liga history. He was signed as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois, along with Miguel Moya, who was signed from Getafe. The Slovenian began as an understudy to Moya and was used sparingly for the best part of the season until Moya suffered an injury during a Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen. He came up with an inspirational performance as he kept a clean sheet and also saved a penalty in the shoot-out that followed. There has been no looking back for him since then.

Oblak has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the game over the past three years with his impressive shot-stopping skills and he's the man who guards the post of what's probably the meanest defense in the world. Oblak has won the La Liga Zamora Trophy, which is presented to the best keeper in La Liga, over the last three seasons.

There were rumours that Liverpool could go after Oblak as Roma were unwilling to negotiate for Alisson. But since Alisson has made his move to Merseyside, Oblak looks likely to stay in Madrid again this season. But it's highly likely that a club like Paris Saint Germain or Bayern Munich could come back for the Slovenian next summer and the club might have to shell out more than what Liverpool did to secure Oblak's services.

#1 Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

Chelsea v Manchester United - The Emirates FA Cup Final
Courtois could head back to Madrid this season

Thibaut Courtois was signed by Chelsea at the start of the 2011-12 season, but he was sent out on a loan for three years to Atletico Madrid. Courtois developed into one of the best young keepers in the game and then made his move to London after impressing at the Vicente Calderon.

Courtois has been one of the top keepers in the Premier League during his spell of four years with the London club. His physique and imposing presence along with his exceptional shot-stopping and handling skills make him a keeper that most teams would dream of having.

The 26-year old was spectacular throughout the World Cup and his most exceptional performance came in Belgium's historic triumph over Brazil in the quarterfinals. The Chelsea man also kept 3 clean-sheets in the 7 matches. The 26-year old was excellent even in the semifinal loss against France and it was sad that he ended up on the losing side.

Courtois departed from Russia with his reputation enhanced even further and his displays along with David de Gea's mistakes mean that he's a strong contender to make the move from England to Real Madrid.

Before the start of each season, there are rumours that Real Madrid are on the lookout for a keeper to replace Navas and it's no different this time either. Only difference here is that, it's Courtois who is most likely to get back to Madrid. If he does make a move back, it's highly likely that Chelsea will stall until they can eke out a price that is in excess of what Liverpool paid for Alisson.

Quick Links

Edited by Neeraj Manivannan