Lunin to replace Areola as Real’s backup goalkeeper

Andriy Lunin is set to replace Alphonse Areola as the second choice between the posts at Real Madrid next season, behind Thibaut Courtois, according to AS.

Lunin has spent the whole of 2019/20 season on loan, the first half at Real Valladolid, and the second at Oviedo. He is due to return to the Santiago Bernabeu soon, and it seems he is set to stay there for the following campaign.

Last year, Real sold Keylor Navas to Paris Saint-Germain and took Areola on loan to provide cover for Courtois. The deal is about expire, and under the current circumstances, Los Blancos are looking to save as much money as possible. It means they will not be signing Areola permanently, or extend his loan.

They already have Lunin under contract until 2024, and under its terms the Ukrainian’s wages are only a half of what they’ve been paying Areola. They obviously believe in the 21-year-old sufficiently to let him join Zinedine Zidane’s squad.