Real Madrid's pursuit of David De Gea has reached its end. According to the Express, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is ready to hand the reins to reserve goalkeeper Keylor Navas and wants Victor Valdes to replace Iker Casillas as the club's No. 2 next season.
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Valdes signed with Manchester United on a free transfer in January, but is yet to make a senior appearance. With Navas unproven in the Spanish capital, the opportunity for first-team minutes could be greater at the Santiago Bernabeu than at Old Trafford.
The reports, however, come as a direct contradiction to Ancelotti's comments on Friday.
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"I don't think Iker needs protection because he has a long spine," he said (via Goal). "He's an extraordinary professional. The last thing I think he needs is protection."
"Casillas was very clear: He wants to stay here," Ancelotti added. "And we want him to stay here too."
Rotation will allow Navas to start for Madrid against Eibar on Saturday. Always the consummate professional, Casillas accepted Ancelotti's decision without rancor and accepted he's not guaranteed a place on the first team.
"The important thing is to win and see if Barça slip up," he said (via Tribalfootball). " There's no protection going on, we've already talked about this a lot. The goalkeeper issue is more titillating from the outside than in. What the fans should do is cheer their players on to win in each game."
The first opportunity for the fans to do so will be at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
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