Chelsea willing to make offer for Real Madrid teenager seen as Thibaut Courtois successor | OneFootball

Real Madrid rarely replace their stars with academy products, and with Thibaut Courtois, they will have a tough job replacing someone many consider the best in the world at his position. However there is genuine hope at Valdebebas that they might have someone capable of doing so in the academy.

According to Relevo, 19-year-old Fran Gonzalez continues to impress and progress at a faster rate than many had imagined. The starting goalkeeper for Real Madrid Castilla, he is also a regular at senior training, and has six caps for the Spain under-19 side, but recently was called up to the under-21s. The imposing figure, over two metres of it, has convinced goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis that Gonzalez could be the long-term answer after Courtois.

His development has not gone unnoticed either. Gonzalez has a contract until 2026, and Los Blancos are not opposed to providing him with a fresh deal to ward off interested parties. Chief among them Chelsea, who are following him closely, and are willing to make an offer for him.

Real Madrid’s chief issue with Gonzalez will be finding him good experience to continue his development in the coming seasons. That would likely have to come in loan deals, but that can also be tricky, and not many clubs in top leagues are willing to make young goalkeepers their starters.