Ancelotti eyes Chelsea star in ruthless Real Madrid raid, with Man Utd stalwart wanted too following devastating injury

Real Madrid have set their sights on two Premier League stars following a long-term injury to Thibaut Courtois, with Kepa Arrizabalaga and a Manchester United player both reportedly under consideration by Carlo Ancelotti.

Courtois has had huge success with Madrid since swapping Chelsea for the La Liga giants in August 2018. He has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, having kept 91 clean sheets in 230 appearances. Courtois’ top performances in goal have helped Madrid win one Champions League, two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey, plus other silverware.

But Ancelotti will not be able to rely on the Belgian for most of the 2023-24 campaign after Madrid confirmed he has ruptured his ACL. According to a club statement, Courtois will have surgery on the issue ‘in the coming days’.

Madrid did not reveal exactly how long Courtois will be out of action for. It is likely to be at least seven months, given the severe nature of the injury.

With Los Blancos chasing Champions League and La Liga glory, Ancelotti is not content with relying on inexperienced backup keeper Andriy Lunin. As such, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Madrid will dip into the transfer market to bring in a top-class replacement for Courtois while the 31-year-old recuperates.

According to Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard, Madrid are interested in signing Arrizabalaga from Chelsea as their new number one.

READ MORE: Chelsea finalise ‘crucial’ midfielder transfer decision as Fabrizio Romano declares ‘here we go’

As they do not want to spend a big fee this summer, amid a potential swoop for Kylian Mbappe, Madrid are considering an initial loan for Arrizabalaga. This would then include the option for them to land him on a permanent basis in summer 2024.

Madrid plotting a move for Arrizabalaga could set up a transfer battle between them and Bayern for the Chelsea man. Bayern are keen to sign Arrizabalaga on a loan-to-buy deal of their own, following Yann Sommer’s transfer to Inter. Bayern’s number one remains Manuel Neuer, though he is still getting back to full fitness following a leg break.

Real Madrid considering former Man Utd man too

Arrizabalaga is not the only keeper Madrid are considering. Various sources including Kinsella and Sky Sports have revealed Man Utd stalwart David de Gea is also on Ancelotti’s radar.

De Gea was on Man Utd’s books between 2011 and July 2023. The Red Devils offered De Gea a contract extension earlier this summer and he accepted, only for the club to back out of the proposal. The Spaniard is therefore available on a free transfer.

It is this availability which prompts Kinsella to name De Gea as the ‘frontrunner’ to join Madrid, ahead of Arrizabalaga. To sign De Gea, Madrid would simply need to sort out a contract with him, rather than having to finalise a deal with a team as well.

De Gea’s switch to Madrid could actually be a controversial one. This is because he came through the academy at their local rivals Atletico Madrid. De Gea played 84 times for the Atleti first team, keeping 23 clean sheets, before being snapped up by former Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are at risk of losing out on one of their top transfer targets after Liverpool begun plotting revenge by getting to him first.