Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid swapped goalkeepers late last summer with Alphonse Areola going to the La Liga on loan and Keylor Navas making the permanent switch to the French capital.
Areola’s loan with Madrid and contract with PSG expires on June 30, which leaves his future very much up in the air.
Navas has been outstanding for PSG this season and it’s unlikely Areola would return to the Ligue 1 leaders and sign a new deal only to sit on the bench.
The good news is that according to AS Diario, Los Blancos are keen on retaining Areola as they’ve been impressed with his eight appearances for the club this season and could see him as a strong challenger to their number one goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois.
With Areola gone, PSG has a bit of an issue at the goalkeeper position. Navas is the clear-cut number one choice but he is 33-years-old. There have been no signs of him slowing down but Leonardo, PSG’s sporting director, needs to find a solid backup who can start in case of injury and eventually take over the starting job.
Sergio Rico is on loan from Sevilla FC and I’m not sure we’ve seen enough from him to say he’s the heir apparent to Navas. Marcin Bulka arrived last summer from Chelsea FC but there’s already talk about him going out on loan this summer. Garissone Innocent has a lot of potential but he’s only 19.
One name that continues to be linked to a move to PSG is AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italy international has one year left on his contract and his agent, Mino Raiola, has done business with PSG in the past.
Several top clubs, including Chelsea FC and Juventus FC, are interested in Donnarumma as well and as 90Min reports, the 21-year-old shot-stopper will likely command a contract worth around €8 million per year.