Real Madrid captain and legend Iker Casillas wants the club to rip up his contract so he can move to Arsenal, according to reports in Spain.
El Confidencial claims the 32-year-old has had enough of playing second fiddle to Diego Lopez and wants regular first team football. His future at the Santiago Bernabeu has been thrown into even more doubt after reports last week suggested Los Blancos have agreed a 10 million euro deal with Levante for Costa Rican shot stopper Keylor Navas.
Casillas, who helped Spain win the World Cup in 2010, and two European Championships, in 2008 and 2012, has seen his stock fall in recent times. He was dropped by Jose Mourinho in the Portuguese boss’ last season in charge in Madrid and failed to win it back under Carlo Ancelotti. He did however feature as the starting choice in the Copa del Rey and Champions League – both competitions Real won last season.
But at the World Cup in Brazil this summer, the keeper had a nightmare, conceding five against Holland in the opening game, and putting in a less than convincing display against Chile in the second game. He didn’t feature in Spain’s final group match against Australia.
Arsenal are on the lookout for a new keeper having seen Lukasz Fabianski leave for Swansea, and despite being linked with a move for Colombia keeper David Ospina, boss Arsene Wenger could be tempted to move quickly for Casillas should Los Blancos agree to let him leave now.
Casillas rose through the youth ranks at the club and has played more than 700 times for the first team.
Nooooooo!! San iker is alive legend for us, i’ll die 🙁
Madrid shouldn’t let iker leave sell Diego Lopez instead.
Noooooooo! We won’t casillas at arrsenal
Seeing Iker move away from Real is going to HURT. In all my time as a Madridista he has been the One solid guy in the line up. So the way the management has treated him the last few years has been rough to watch, I can’t blame him for wanting or considering to leave.
If Arsenal is the right club for Iker? I think it would be a good fit in terms of the management at the club, and if the goals conceded tells a story about the defensive part, Arsenal was second after Man City last season. The commute between Madrid and London isn’t the worst possible within Europe.
So should the transfer go through, we will all hopefully cherish all the good stuff that Iker has been part of achieving at Real.
No disrespect to Diego, for his performance has been great and for him to come back to Real and claim the goal from Iker, is a huge achievement in its own.
I would like both to stay, and hopefully find a way to keep both happy.
Currently I don’t see a need for bringing in another experienced keeper, rather spend some euros on the talent development to ensure that we in 2-3 years have a new young comet like Iker was when he debuted.
Iker is a living legend and a true full blood Madridista, I will always support him, whether he decides to leave or stay and claim back his spot in the goal.
But I do hope and pray for Iker to stay.
Please iker go.
Real madrid don’t like you.
i don’t love lopez.
I love you very.
my name is artin and i’m from iran.