5 most valuable U-23 goalkeepers in the world at the moment

#3 Unai Simon (Spain, Athletic Bilbao) - £14.4 million

When Athletic Bilbao accepted a world-record fee for Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea, questions were asked on who would replace the Spaniard at Bilbao. However, Athletic Club knew exactly what they were doing when they sanctioned the deal to sell Kepa.

They initially tried experienced goalkeeper Iago Herrerin out, before gradually promoting academy graduate Unai Simon to the starting line-up. As of now, the 23 year-old is the undisputed starter under the cross-bar.

Simon has been a revelation for Athletic, and you might claim that he is better than Kepa Arrizabalaga at this moment since the latter has had a forgettable season thus far. With Simon in goal, Athletic can boast of the third-best defense in La Liga, behind the two Madrid giants. The 6'3" goalkeeper has ridiculous reflexes and is composed with the ball at this feet too.

The postponement of the Euro from 2020 to 2021 has given Simon enough time to seriously push for a spot in the Spain roster, and perhaps even the starting berth if David de Gea and Kepa Arrizabalaga continue to falter.

#2 Alex Meret (Italy, Napoli) - £25.2 million

Meret helped Napoli win the TIM Cup on penalties

It comes as no surprise to see Italy producing some of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now. A nation with a rich history when it comes to producing top-level goalkeepers, Italy have struck gold once again in the form of Napoli's Alex Meret.

Napoli have had a somewhat topsy-turvy season, with some off-the-pitch issues hampering the mood around the club. Still, many players have tried their level best to not let that affect their performances, and that includes 23-year-old Alex Meret.

Napoli deemed it fair to pay £23.4 million to Udinese to bag Meret when he was just 21. That investment seems to be paying off so far as Meret looks like the real deal. He's made a number of insane saves to save the blushes of a Napoli defense that has struggled in the absence of star center-back Kalidou Koulibaly, when the Senegalese was missing in action at the start of the calendar year.

Meret would start for Italy in almost any other circumstances, but unfortunately the nation's finest is on a different level altogether...

#1 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, AC Milan) - £44.5 million

Donnarumma is one of the world's best goalkeepers already

By far the most valuable U-23 goalkeeper in the world, Gianluigi Donnarumma is in a league of his own when it comes to young shot-stoppers. Donnarumma is about to finish what will be his 5th season as AC Milan's first choice goalkeeper. He is 21.

That fact alone is enough to justify his inclusion at the top spot in this list, but there's more to it. He has also been representing Italy since 2016, when he was just 17 - the youngest goalkeeper in the Azzurri's history. He is fast closing in on 200 appearances for a footballing giant like AC Milan, and will certainly do so before his 22nd birthday - a quite astonishing feat.

As for his keeping abilities, his reflexes are world-class already, and one can only speculate how good he could be in his peak. Despite being 6'5" tall, he has incredible flexibility and can dive as well as any other keeper in all of Europe. His kicking and distribution need help but at only 21, he has a massive chunk of his career still ahead of him.

Truth be told, Donnarumma already has a CV most goalkeepers can only dream of. Team accolades are sure to follow in the future. After all, you couldn't possibly go wrong with an Italian goalkeeper named Gianluigi!