Arsenal manager Unai Emery has ruled out the possibility of the Gunners pursuing the signature of Keylor Navas from Real Madrid during the ongoing winter transfer window.
A recent report from Sport claimed that the Gunners had made a £14m bid for the Costa Rica international, who has dropped down the pecking order at the Bernabeu since Thibaut Courtois’ arrival.
However, speaking ahead of the FA Cup third round tie at Blackpool, Emery rubbished the speculation linking with the shot-stopper while stressing that he is pleased with the three keepers in Bernd Leno, Petr Cech and Damian Martinez, who are presently with the first-team squad.
“Not true. on if there’s interest… I don’t know. We never speak about one goalkeeper because I think – and it’s true – we are very happy with the three goalkeepers we have now. We’ve never spoken about Keylor Navas,” he was quoted by Arsenal.com.
A potential move for Navas had raised question marks whether Leno’s position remains safe between the sticks while also leading to suggestions that Emery may be seeking to replace Cech, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
However, the Spanish tactician has dismissed the gossip once and for all with another straightforward response and hopefully, the club can now look at potential additions in the defence, which has been the prime area affected during the first half of the season.
A replacement for the injured Rob Holding remains pivotal for the second half of the season, given Emery has been left tight in the central defensive department this term with Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Sokratis and Nacho Monreal all experiencing fitness concerns at some stage of the campaign.
