Real Madrid are reportedly looking at the prospect of bringing in Everton keeper Maarten Stekelenburg as a replacement for outbound Keylor Navas.
Daily Mail speculate that Maarten Stekelenburg could be in line for a surprise move to Spain. Keylor Navas is reportedly looking to quit Santiago Bernabeu in search of first-team football. Real Madrid are thus, lining up a late move for the Everton stopper if indeed the Costa Rican leaves the club.
Keylor Navas has found regular game time hard to come by since the arrival of Thibaut Courtois in the summer of 2018. Julen Lopetegui chose to rotate the two keepers every now and then while the entire 2018-19 season saw the two keepers play in tandem.
But, Zinedine Zidane seems to have finally locked Courtois down as the first-choice at Real Madrid despite early rumours that stated otherwise, which means Navas will be relegated to appearances in cup competitions. So far, the Costa Rican has not appeared for the club this season, which intensifies the rumours surrounding his potential exit from the club.
Maarten Stekelenburg, on the other hand, was the registered second-choice at Everton, with English number one Jordan Pickford the undisputed first-choice at Goodison Park. Interestingly, Stekelenburg is yet to make a league appearance for Everton since playing in a 1-0 defeat to Swansea City in May 2017.
The Dutchman has gone more than 2 years without league football and his last appearance in all competitions dates back to October 2018 in a penalty shootout loss to Southampton in the EFL Cup. Stekelenburg has only won titles during his stay at boyhood club Ajax and would love to move to a club of Real Madrid’s stature and be privy to the prospect of adding trophies to his career.
Everton though, could provide a bit of resistance if Real Madrid do come knocking. Although Jonas Lossl has come in from Huddersfield on a free transfer and is likely the second-choice keeper for Marco Silva this season, an injury to either of the keepers or a situation like Liverpool’s could put Everton’s campaign in peril.
But, if Real Madrid push through, which they might if Keylor Navas departs, we could see 36-year-old Stekelenburg be a part of the legendary Los Blancos.
