Manchester City are reportedly scouring the possibility of signing Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas in an “emergency loan” deal
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Manchester City could be forced into the market after Claudio Bravo sustained a long-term Achilles injury this week. The Premier League champions have set their sights on Real Madrid, with an “emergency loan” being mooted for the Costa Rican goalkeeper.
Navas arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 after a stellar World Cup campaign in Brazil. But, the Costa Rican custodian has had to constantly justify his tag of being the rightful no. 1 at the Bernabeu, which he has, more often than not, done with aplomb.
The 2017-18 season though, could just be the one in which he loses the no. 1 spot, with Real Madrid signing Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea. The arrival of the Belgian shot stopper has led many to believe that Navas will likely act as the deputy in goal over the course of the season, even though he has started each of Los Blancos‘ first two games of the season.
This has opened up the possibility of the 31-year-old leaving Real Madrid, even though he has insisted that he is happy at the Bernabeu and wants to stay at least till the end of his current deal. But, Manchester City are weighing up a shock move for Navas.
The Premier League champions have lost Claudio Bravo for an indefinite period, which leaves them with just Ederson as a recognised goalkeeper at Pep Guardiola’s disposal. Apart from the Brazilian, the Manchester City boss could depend on Daniel Grimshaw to be his deputy.
But, even though the 20-year-old remains highly rated at the Etihad, Manchester City want to quickly resolve the situation they find themselves in. As a result, they are scouring the possibility of signing Navas from Real Madrid in an “emergency loan” deal. But, there are a couple of obstacles for the Citizens before they can complete the move.
Firstly, Manchester City would need special permission from to sign Navas – or any other contracted goalkeeper – on an “emergency loan”, upon which their goalkeeping situation will be assessed. Even if they do secure the permission to pursue the move, convincing Real Madrid to part ways will be a tall order in itself.
Additionally, Navas will likely be a backup option as Manchester City as well, which makes it hard for the Premier League champions to convince him to make the shock move. All in all, this looks like a deal that is unlikely to happen, although it will be interesting to see if City are able to complete an “emergency loan” for the Real Madrid custodian.
