Yassine Bounou “I was the priority” – Saudi Pro League goalie claims he was Real Madrid’s first pick before Kepa.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou reportedly claimed that he was Real Madrid’s preferred summer transfer target over Kepa Arrizabalaga. Bono, on the other hand, elected to join Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, while Kepa joined Real Madrid.
This summer, Al Hilal signed the Moroccan for €21 million from Sevilla. The Spanish goalkeeper, on the other hand, joined Real Madrid on a one-year loan from Chelsea.
Bono recently stated that he was on Los Blancos’ priority list, but they decided against signing him owing to the Africa Cup of Nations, which is set for January-February 2024. Morocco’s first choice for the position in the forthcoming competition, and he might miss up to a month of league games.
Thibaut Courtois suffered an ACL injury ahead of the new season, forcing Real Madrid to look for a replacement goalkeeper. He recently underwent surgery for the same reason and is expected to miss a significant portion of the current season.
Yassine Bounou and Kepa Arrizabalaga | How both Keepers have performed this season?
Bono’s move to Al Hilal was not finalised before he played for Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup against Manchester City and their La Liga opener against Valencia. Sevilla was defeated in both matches, losing 5-4 on penalties to City and 2-1 to Los Ches.
He has made three appearances for Al Hilal since joining them, keeping two clean sheets in the process. So far, he has given up three goals, all of which came in a 4-3 victory over Al Ittihad.
Meanwhile, Kepa has made two La Liga outings for Real Madrid this season. In the process, he has preserved one clean sheet while surrendering one goal. Both of his appearances have resulted in victories for the Spanish giants.
