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While Thibaut Courtois remains the undisputed number one goalkeeper at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid have actually started planning for the Belgian giants post-season, with management realizing that time waits for no one.
Courtois (34) is out of contract until the summer of 2027, having signed this year. Despite the Belgian goalkeeper’s stated desire to continue with the Royals beyond this date, the club is moving quietly and unhurriedly to secure a worthy successor to the legacy of one of the world’s best goalkeepers.
According to “Mundo Deportivo:“The Spanish surprise is that Ukrainian Andriy Lunin, 27, is not among the candidates to replace Courtois despite his presence in the squad, and club sources confirm that the technical management do not see him as a long-term strategic alternative, especially with Jose Mourinho still in charge of the technical staff and his commitment to Courtois as the undisputed first option.
A few names began to circulate in the corridors of “Valdebebas”, and the name of the Dutchman Bart Verbruggen, the goalkeeper of Brighton and the Netherlands national team, is gaining more and more momentum in the following reports.
However, the management of “Real Madrid” emphasizes the policy of “not rushing”. The club closely monitors the market and puts more than one option on the table in anticipation of any emergency, without neglecting the academy members.
Fran Gonzalez is one of La Fabrica’s proposed names, but there are some doubts about his readiness to defend the first team at the moment.
The club’s management has made it clear that Courtois is “currently irreplaceable” and that signing a new goalkeeper is not an urgent matter on the table, as the Merengue chiefs believe they have plenty of time and that every season reveals new talents in the goalkeeping position who can carry the flag after the Belgian era ends.
With that, Real Madrid are moving at a deliberate pace, keeping Courtois as long as possible while building a quiet succession plan that ensures his departure doesn’t leave a void in what the club sees as one of the pillars of its project.
