‘I understand’: 32-year-old now says that club actually wanted to sign him instead of Chelsea man this summer

Add as preferred source on Google

Goalkeeper Bono has claimed that Real Madrid were actually prioritising signing him this summer instead of Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga.

He told Canal sur Radio via Sport that the fact he would represent his country in the African cup of Nations would cause a problem for the La Liga side.

When Madrid needed to find a temporary replacement for Thibaut Courtois after he suffered an ACL injury, they turned to West London and Kepa.

The Spaniard was under pressure from Robert Sanchez after he was signed from Brighton later in the transfer window.

It seems he did not fancy a battle for the number one shirt, and instead jumped at the chance to perform for the La Liga side.

Bono says Madrid wanted him over Kepa

Bono has now claimed though that the club were actually considering signing him before the Chelsea man.

He said: “That’s what I understand. Afterwards, the board analysed the whole situation, saw that I could go to the Africa Cup and miss a lot of games in a month important for Madrid… and it was not possible. Furthermore, they had other options in the form of a loan that suited them better.

“The Africa Cup has had a lot of influence on this market, both for me and for Youssef (En-Nesyri).

“Bayern was in contact with Sevilla. They asked me to wait and told me that they were going to send an offer, but in the meantime they were other names were being heard. I understood that there came a time when Bayern was only looking for a loan. The clubs, unfortunately, don’t want to spend.”

The Blues will currently return from the international break with a decision to make over starting either Sanchez or new addition Djordje Petrovic.