Among Real Madrid’s summer targets Leicester City’s Champions League hero, Kasper Schmeichel, now reportedly holds a top place. The La Liga giants have been preparing an elite list of players to go after, as the transfer ban gets lifted this transfer window, and Zinedine Zidane holds the Danish international in high regards.
Despite having a somewhat underwhelming season in the domestic league, which started in the most nightmarish way possible for Leicester City, his Champions League displays have been absolutely phenomenal. He has just conceded two goals in six Champions League appearances, which includes an extremely crucial penalty save against Sevilla in the round of 16, that pretty much sealed the Foxes’ progress to the quarters.
Real have plans to systematically replace the ageing feet from Santiago Bernabeu so that the club doesn’t experience any crisis scenarios in the future, and 30-year-old Keylor Navas looks like one of the departures. Though the Costa Rican international hasn’t been poor by any means, it seems that Los Blancos are just looking at a fresh blood to take that position. Real have been linked with Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois previously, but a move for either of them doesn’t look very feasible.
While Lloris has just put his pen to paper at White Hart Lane a few months back, which earns him in the region of around £100,000 a week, Chelsea’s shot stopper isn’t in a mood to leave the club anytime soon.
Schmeichel makes for an easier target if compared to them and would definitely be tempted if Zidane makes an approach. The Manchester City youth product didn’t have the perfect start to his career as he had to spend numerous low-profile loan stints at Darlington, Bury FC, Falkirk FC, Cardiff City and Coventry City before he made a move to Notts County back in 2009. Leeds United got him the next year and after remaining unimpressive there, Leicester City picked him in 2011.
Hence, until the historic 2016 campaign, Schmeichel was a hardly known figure. And now, at 30, he wouldn’t want to waste a chance of moving to Europe’s elite under any situation. Leicester’s late resurgence might just save them from relegation this season, but hardly anyone expects the Foxes to replicate their title-winning run anytime in the near future.
Schmeichel’s contract with Leicester runs till 2021 and there is a little possibility he would stay that long with clubs like Liverpool and Real Madrid chasing him.
