Six goalkeepers Real Madrid could target after Thibaut Courtois injury: Kepa Arrizabalaga, De Gea, Navas…

After Thibaut Courtois ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Real Madrid are now looking to sign a new goalkeeper. 

Courtois, who was named the best goalkeeper in the world at last year’s Ballon d’Or awards, will undergo surgery in the coming days and looks set to miss most of the 2023/24 season.

Madrid are operating under strict financial constraints following their outlay on Jude Bellingham this summer, but they still want to bring in another goalkeeper.

We’ve taken a look at six goalkeepers that Madrid could realistically try and sign in the next few weeks.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

An Athletic Bilbao academy graduate, Kepa nearly joined Real Madrid in a €20million move in January 2018, but the deal was blocked by then-coach Zinedine Zidane.

After Madrid signed Courtois from Chelsea a few months later, he then replaced the Belgium international at Stamford Bridge and became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

The 28-year-old struggled to adapt to the Premier League in his debut season and was eventually usurped by Edouard Mendy in 2020.

He reclaimed the No.1 spot from Mendy in 2022/23 but Chelsea have since signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton in a £25million deal.

According to Fabrizio Romano and Florian Plettenberg, Kepa will reject an approach from Bayern Munich and has already spoken with Madrid.

Madrid reportedly want to take the Spain international on a one-year loan deal with an option to buy in the summer of 2024.

David de Gea

De Gea could finally complete his dream move to Real Madrid this summer, eight years after an initial transfer failed.

Real had agreed to sign the Spain international from Manchester United in the summer of 2015, with Keylor Navas due to move in the opposite direction.

But both deals collapsed on transfer deadline day as a faulty fax machine meant the necessary paperwork was not submitted in time.

De Gea, who came through the academy at Atletico Madrid, is now available on a free transfer after failing to agree terms on a new United contract.

While the 32-year-old didn’t suit Erik ten Hag’s style of play, he still won the Premier League Golden Glove in 2022/23 after keeping 17 clean sheets in 38 appearances.

According to Sky Sports, Real have made contact with his representatives, and he is expected to be open to a move back to his home city.

Congratulations to David de Gea who is now the Premier League Golden Glove winner for 2022/23! 🔴

(via @premierleague)

pic.twitter.com/RdiHKWssnc

— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) May 20, 2023

Keylor Navas

Navas spent half a decade with Madrid, winning a La Liga title, three Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and four FIFA World Club Cups.

But he fell down the pecking order following Courtois’ arrival and then joined Paris Saint-Germain in a €15million deal in 2019.

The Costa Rica international has since become a backup goalkeeper once again, with Gianluigi Donnarumma usurping him in Paris.

He spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan with Nottingham Forest, helping them avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The 36-year-old still wants to play regular first-team football and would be a great short-term fix for the 2023/24 season.

According to Fabrizio Romano, an agent is now discussing the possibility of bringing Navas back to Madrid for a second spell.

Yassine Bounou

Since joining Sevilla from Girona in 2019, Bounou has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga.

He’s helped the club win two Europa League titles and received the Zamora Trophy in 2021/22, which is awarded to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-to-games ratio in La Liga.

The 32-year-old also played a key role in Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar last year.

According to Marca, Bounou is the leading candidate to cover for the absence of Courtois, and he will push for a move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.

While he has a €50million release clause in his contract, Madrid will try to lower Sevilla’s demands and could sign him for around €20million.

But the Morocco international will head to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, which could see him miss a total of 13 club matches.

Giorgi Mamardashvili

Despite the fact that Valencia endured a below-par campaign in La Liga in 2022/23, Mamardashvili still managed to win plenty of plaudits.

The 22-year-old, who stands at a giant 6ft 6in, made over 100 saves in La Liga last season and is regarded as one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in world football.

“He’s a great goalkeeper, he’s a very high-level player,” former Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares told SportItalia.

“And then in addition to that, he’s very young. Goalkeepers improve year on year, so I couldn’t tell you what level he could reach. If he keeps improving at the current rate, it’s impossible to say how good he could get.”

According to reports in Spain, Mamardashvili has attracted interest from Real Madrid, Getafe and Cadiz in the last few weeks.

Valencia want to keep hold of the Georgia international but their precarious financial situation could force them into selling him for around €25million this summer.

Dominik Livakovic

Livakovic shot to prominence with his impressive performances at the 2022 World Cup, helping Croatia take home a bronze medal.

“Livakovic is worthy of praise,” Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn said in December 2022. “Such a goalkeeper must play at a top club. I have no doubt that this will be the case in the new season.”

At club level, the 28-year-old has spent his entire career in his native Croatia and currently plies his trade for Dinamo Zagreb.

Spanish outlet Defensa Central claim Livakovic is the subject of interest from Real Madrid, but he has also been linked with Villarreal, Fiorentina, Manchester United, Celtic, Fenerbache and Al Nassr in recent months.

The goalkeeper has now entered the final 12 months of his contract at Dinamo Zagreb and would reportedly be available for around €12million.

Unlike the other players on this list, he would probably be happy to be a backup when Courtois returns from injury next summer.

READ MORE: The 10 most valuable football clubs in the world in 2023: Manchester United and Liverpool both make the top four