Little by little, the vestiges of Real Madrid which won so many Champions Leagues are starting to fade. Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Toni Kroos and more recently Luka Modric, to name just a few, have left the Santiago Bernabéu. And in the coming years, the last survivors of this glorious cycle will logically pack their bags in turn. This will be the case for Thibaut Courtois, who will celebrate his 34th birthday next May.
Although still efficient on his line and still as decisive in catching up with the sometimes numerous errors of his defenders, the Belgian goalkeeper is reaching an advanced age and inevitably, the question of his replacement arises, while his contract in Madrid expires in 2027. Will it be extended? Will the 2026/2027 season be the Belgian's last in the Merengue cages? This summer, the trend was more towards an extension, but the situation has not changed since and Courtois has still not signed a new lease with the Madrilenians.
A home solution
Regardless, Real Madrid don't want to be caught off guard and are already thinking about the post-Courtois era. As indicated A.S.Madrid decision-makers already have an idea in mind to take over from the Belgian. This is Fran Gonzalez, a young 20-year-old goalkeeper who plays with Real Madrid Castilla. Above all, he comes out of a big U20 World Cup with Spain despite the elimination of La Roja in the quarter-finals of the competition. He performed at a high level, notably against Brazil (1-0), and established himself as one of the sensations of the tournament.
The newspaper adds that he is the favorite of the club's goalkeeper trainer Luis Llopis, who has been watching him for quite a while now. At 1m99, he is therefore considered the goalkeeper of the future in Madrid, and he was already very popular with Carlo Ancelotti who had called him to train with the A on several occasions. A goalkeeper to follow…
