Tottenham are set to battle with their London rivals Arsenal for the signing of Keylor Navas of Real Madrid. The Costa Rican goalkeeper has been a part of the Real Madrid side for a while but most would remember that he was not their first-choice keeper when they signed him up.
Don Balon reports that the two Premier League rivals are battling each other to bring the goalkeeper in the summer transfer window. The report also claims that the La Liga giants have received an offer for €20 million but the club is holding out for €30 million.
It seems that Tottenham are keeping a replacement ready should Hugo Lloris leave the club in the summer. Despite the captain signing a long-term deal in 2016, there are reports that Real Madrid want the 30-year-old at the club and when Madrid call everyone will listen.
It does seem a bit confusing as to why Real would target Lloris now considering that the club have always wanted to sign David de Gea of Manchester United. They failed in their attempts a couple of times and the first time around they had signed Navas to fill in the gap that De Gea couldn’t fill.
While they will certainly try to sign De Gea in the summer again, Jose Mourinho is a stubborn character and would not be willing to sell their star player. In that case, Tottenham could have to brace themselves as Madrid come knocking on the door.
Our Verdict
Navas, however, wouldn’t be the best option to replace Lloris. The Costa Rican isn’t as vocal at the back and doesn’t have the leadership skills from the former Lyon star. Spurs should try to hold onto their star for as long as possible and with Pau Lopez developing well, he could be the player that can take over from Lloris in a couple of years.
Lloris has only conceded 20 goals in 27 league games and has 12 clean sheets to his name. That record is better than the current Madrid keeper and Lloris should remain in the side if Spurs dream of winning more silverware in the future.
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