Barcelona, Chelsea and the teams that will be monitoring PSG's Keylor Navas

Cameron Smith

• 21 Apr 2022 09:50 CDT
• 5 min read

Keylor Navas has placed Europe's elite clubs in need of a goalkeeper on high alert by announcing it will be "complicated" for his Paris Saint-Germain future if things remain as they have at the Ligue 1 club.

Navas, 35, joined PSG from Real Madrid back in 2019 and was first-choice at the Parc des Princes until Gianluigi Donnarumma's arrival last summer.

The Italian shot-stopper joined fresh from winning the European Championships with his nation and was seen as the best young goalkeeper in the world following years of solid performances for his boyhood club AC Milan.

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However, his signing meant Navas was forced to share the number one duties at PSG with the new addition. Recently, though, it's been clear that Donnarumma is Mauricio Pochettino's preferred option.

The 23-year-old has made some high-profile errors recently, not least against Real Madrid in the Champions League last-16 second-leg which gifted Los Blancos a way back into the tie, but is still seen as the future of PSG.

Given Navas' age it's understandable, but the Costa Rica international, who burst onto the world scene following his heroics at the 2014 World Cup, has been forced to play more of a back-up role to Donnarumma recently.

His start against Angers in PSG's most recent fixture was his first in over a month, but despite this recent preference of Donnarumma, Navas has still amassed more minutes in Ligue 1 this season.

However, with his career at the top level not expected to last too much longer, Navas is keen to make the most of it with plenty of gametime.

The former Real Madrid 'keeper is therefore willing to look elsewhere this summer. He told Canal +: "If I want to stay a lot of things have to be studied. In the end I have a very good relationship with Gigi (Donnarumma), there is no problem with him.

"Of course, I want to play every game. In the end, if it's a situation like this year, it will be complicated. We'll see what happens in the future."

This stance will no doubt have alerted clubs around Europe in need of a new goalkeeper, but which team could Navas sign for this summer if he decided to leave?

Barcelona

The first option is Barcelona. Now, Navas may not be accepted by the Blaugrana fans thanks to his time at their arch-rivals Real, but he would provide competition for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, which the German desperately needs.

One of the world's best a few years ago, Ter Stegen has dropped off in the past couple of seasons and his post-shot expected goals against value is the 13th best of all goalkeepers to play in La Liga this season according to Fbref, which isn't ideal given Barca want to challenge for the title.

Last year, however, Ter Stegen ranked 25th for that metric. Navas' presence could see Ter Stegen replaced as first-choice or give him the competition needed to stake his claim for the number one shirt with performances reminiscent of his early Barcelona days.

Chelsea

Edouard Mendy remains Chelsea's number one 'keeper, but he hasn't performed at his best this campaign. Following his impressive debut season Mendy was expected to kick on, but a few mistakes have seemingly affected his confidence and he made a similar error as the aforementioned Donnarumma that also gifted Karim Benzema a crucial Champions League goal.

The Senegalese shot-stopper hasn't quite recovered from that and his distribution was shaky in Chelsea's defeat to Arsenal.

Kepa Arrizabalaga could be leaving Chelsea this summer, so Navas could take the Spaniard's place as a rotation option for Mendy, or even as his replacement if his form continues to drop.

Napoli

A perhaps more realistic option would be Napoli. They are chasing the Serie A title this season, but are currently lagging slightly behind the two Milan sides.

Alex Meret promised big things a few years ago, but he's been limited to just five league starts with former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina taking the reigns as number one.

However, he wasn't good enough to start for Arsenal regularly, so if Napoli want to challenge at the top end of Serie A and in Europe next year, he could be upgraded.

Navas would provide that upgrade and add vital experience to a team that lacks top level knowledge, especially with captain Lorenzo Insigne leaving to join Toronto.

Newcastle

Navas could also be an outlandish option for Newcastle United as they look to make big moves this summer.

While he may want to play Champions League football next year, Eddie Howe's project could convince him. The Magpies have already attracted Bruno Guimaraes, one of Europe's best midfielders, and Navas could be another.

He would be an immediate upgrade on their current options, start every game he's fit for and lead Newcastle up the table as they begin their journey under new ownership.

It would be a huge statement of intent, but Navas could be persuaded to join with the promise of game time and a huge similar to the one he's earning at PSG.