“Get well soon my friend” - Real Madrid transfer target sends message to Thibaut Courtois after ACL injury
Reported Real Madrid target Yassine Bounou has sent a message to Thibaut Courtois after his knee injury on Thursday (10 August).
Courtois ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a training session in Spain's capital. As a result, he is expected to be sidelined until at least April.
This means Real Madrid will be in urgent need of a new No. 1 going into the new season. Bounou has reportedly emerged as a serious candidate to replace the 31-year-old Belgium international.
According to French Football Weekly, Los Blancos wanted to sign the Sevilla shot-stopper earlier this summer as Courtois' backup. Following the latter's injury, the Madrid-based giants have opened talks with the player's agent to explore a potential deal.
Earlier today, Courtois shared a photo of himself on Instagram in high spirits with the message:
"You never expect to go through something like this but now it's time to accept it and do everything to overcome it and come back even stronger. Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you it motivates me to recover as soon as possible. 🤍"
Bounou commented (h/t @theMadridZone on Twitter):
"Get well soon my friend😘🙏🏼🤲🏼"
Sevilla’s Bono wishes Courtois on IG. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/YjhuOQgOBV
Sevilla apparently want €20 million for the 32-year-old Morocco international who has two years left on his contract. He made 25 La Liga appearances last season but was benched in favor of Serbian custodian Marko Dmitrovic towards the end of the campaign.
Real Madrid currently have Andriy Lunin as their only fit senior goalkeeper. The 24-year-old Ukrainian has made just 17 senior appearances for the club since joining them five years ago.
Bayern Munich also in the running as Real Madrid eye Sevilla star as Thibaut Courtois replacement - reports
Real Madrid could have to battle Bayern Munich in their pursuit of Sevilla's Yassine Bounou this summer.
A report from German outlet Sport1 (h/t Builnews.com) claims that Bayern see the Moroccan shot-stopper as an alternative to David Raya. They were reportedly rejected by the Brentford goalkeeper, who is close to joining Arsenal.
Bayern apparently want a cost-efficient solution in the goalkeeping department, with Yann Sommer joining Inter Milan and Manuel Neuer recovering from a leg injury. A loan move could be an option, but Sevilla are reportedly against that.
Bounou has emerged as a target for European giants such as Bayern and Real Madrid after a stellar showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Montreal-born shot-stopper played six times for Morocco, keeping three clean sheets as they finished fourth.