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Thibaut Courtois has seen a nightmare spell at Real Madrid just after moving to the Bernabeu from Chelsea a few months ago. The Los Blancos purchased him for just £31.5 million when his market price stood at £58.5 million-high, a move which was seen by many as a hefty bargain.
However, his €31.5 million transfer now even seems to be too expensive for his club due to his uninspiring displays. Real Madrid have conceded 37 times this season, worse than several of La Liga mid-table teams such as Leganes and Bilbao.
Courtois has started 24 of Real Madrid's La Liga matches and saw several horrific results such as the 5-1 hammering by Barcelona and the 3-0 loss to Sevilla. He has been heavily criticized due to his poor display and his future has got worse after Zidane returned as the Los Blancos head coach.
The Frenchman has favored Keylor Navas as his first-choice goalkeeper recently and could leave Courtois with no choice other than to depart. Here we will take a look at 3 suitable replacements if the Belgian leaves.
#3 Gianluigi Donnaruma
The Italian prodigy has often been linked with Real Madrid following his breakthrough 2015/16 season at AC Milan. He has been a regular in the Italian outfit for 4 consecutive seasons at just 20 years old and become one of the hottest young talents in Europe.
A tall and imposing goalkeeper with outstanding reflexes, Donnaruma has been touted as the heir of Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon. He has conceded slightly fewer goals and recorded 2 more clean sheets than Courtois with 6 more games.
Despite having more game time than the Belgian, Donnaruma is accompanied by arguably weaker defenders in front of him compared to his Real Madrid counterpart. He is still very young for a goalkeeper and has many rooms for improvements.
He could play at the highest level for at least a decade to come given his current performances. Hence, he would be a worthy investment for Real Madrid.
#2 Jan Oblak
The Slovenian has been labeled as one of the best goalkeepers in the World right now due to his consistent and solid performance for Atletico. Everybody knows that Atletico Madrid are one of the strongest teams when it comes to defense; thanks to Oblak's shot-stopping abilities.
The 26-year-old has all it takes to become an impenetrable wall for Real Madrid as he has been equally excellent in stopping both long and close-range shots for Diego Simeone's men. Oblak has recorded twice the amount of Courtois's clean sheets and conceded 9 fewer goals than the Belgian so far this season.
However, Real Madrid would need to dig deep into their pocket to secure the Slovenian's service. Several clubs including Manchester United have also chased the Atletico star and could be a major competitor for the Blancos.
#1 David De Gea
The Spaniard has undoubtedly been one of Real Madrid's dream choice to guard their post. However, De Gea's transfer to Real Madrid has never materialized up till now due to many reasons. Despite previous failures, Los Blancos could have the biggest chance to snatch the Manchester United goalkeeper in the summer window.
The 28-years-old's contract at the English outfit has stalled due to a dispute over salary. De Gea has been known as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. A composed player with outstanding reflexes, the Spaniard has saved United from certain goals on numerous occasions.
He has also excelled in stopping shots with his feet and would be an upgrade for Courtois who has often been nutmegged. He was selected as Manchester United player of the season and included in PFA team of the year several times. Hence, he would be a guaranteed starter for Madrid if the Los Blancos manage to take him from the Old Trafford.
