Madrid, PSG switch goalkeepers Keylor Navas and Alphonse Areola
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Keylor Navas gestures prior of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul White)
MADRID — Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain changed goalkeepers on the final day of the summer transfer market in both countries, with three-time Champions League winner Keylor Navas going to the French club on a permanent deal and Alphonse Areola going the other way on loan.
Navas joins PSG on a four-year deal.
Article continues after this advertisement“I’m coming to France with enormous ambitions,” he said. “I will do everything to help PSG win more titles.”
His arrival means PSG will begin its Champions League campaign with two different goalies, after Gianluigi Buffon also left. PSG recently signed Sergio Rico on a season’s loan from Spanish club Sevilla.
Areola, meanwhile, is expected to serve as a backup to starter Thibaut Courtois. PSG said the deal does not include an option to buy the 26-year-old Areola, who has played three times for France.
Article continues after this advertisementThe 32-year-old Navas won 12 trophies after joining Madrid in 2014 from Levante. But he lost his spot in the starting lineup last season when the club signed Courtois.
Madrid and PSG did not release the financial details of either deal.
