REVEALED: The goalkeeper Madrid wanted before signing Kepa

FT Desk

11 Nov 2023 15:10 GMT
3 min read

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Real Madrid — © ProShots

Real Madrid reportedly pursued one of La Liga's top young goalkeepers before moving for Kepa Arrizabalega this summer.

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The Merengue faced a late dilemma between the posts after seeing first choice Thibaut Courtois go down just days before the start of the season.

Courtois suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament injury and was ruled out for the entirety of 2023-24, forcing Madrid to move quickly in order to find a replacement.

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Kepa, who endured mixed fortunes in the Chelsea net following his move from Athletic in 2018, was unveiled as the Belgian's replacement in August after clinching a loan switch back to Spain.

But according to AS, another goalkeeper was also on Florentino Perez's radar.

Madrid's Kepa alternative

The newspaper reports that prior to Kepa's arrival, Madrid reached out to Valencia with an offer for Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The club wanted the 23-year-old Georgia star on an initial one-year loan for a fee worth €5 million, while also holding an option to make the deal permanent after the season for an additional €30m.

© ProShots - Valencia No. 1 Giorgi Mamardashvili

Valencia, however, were unwilling to commit to a sale within the 48-hour window set by their Liga rivals with no replacement for Mamardashvili lined up and ultimately opted to keep him at Mestalla, a decision that prompted Madrid to sign Kepa.

Madrid will have the chance to see what might have been on Saturday, when Mamardashvili and Valencia visit the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu to take on Carlo Ancelotti's charges.