Morocco international Yassin Bounou has revealed the real reasons why Spanish Real Madrid refused to sign him during the recent summer transfer market. He confirmed that he was the prestigious club’s first choice to compensate for the absence of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is currently out injured.
The goalkeeper of the Moroccan national team shared this information, as reported by Spanish journalist Antonio Camanyo last night in his program “El Pelotazo”. He has revealed he is top of the list of options for Real Madrid after it was confirmed that the team’s number one goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, is unavailable due to a torn cruciate ligament in his knee. Which will keep them off the playing field for more information. more than six months.
Bouun also revealed that Real Madrid’s management had seriously evaluated the transaction and considered the fact that he would join the Moroccan national team for the Africa Cup of Nations to be held early next year in Cote d’Ivoire. Will be This involvement would prevent him from playing a number of important matches for the Royal Club during a crucial month of the season. It was this possibility that caused Real Madrid to drop the idea of signing the Atlas Lions goalkeeper.
Following this decision, the way was opened for Saudi club Al-Hilal, who secured the Moroccan goalkeeper’s services for a period of three seasons, extending till the summer of 2026.
The financial details of the deal between Al-Hilal and Yassin Bounou have not been officially disclosed, but press sources have confirmed that the amount of the deal is 21 million euros, with an annual salary of up to 15 million euros for three seasons. will be. He will wear blue jersey. Real Madrid, for their part, were unable to make a more competitive offer and instead considered loaning the 33-year-old to Sevilla, as previously reported in Spanish media.
It is important to note that Yacine Bounou attracted the attention of two European giants, namely Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, during the market cap last summer. These clubs were looking to address injuries to their goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer, respectively. However, none of them have made an official offer to the management of Sevilla FC.
Hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in January created a number of challenges for European clubs, who often lost their African players at critical times in the season, often for more than a month. The situation has prompted several coaches, including Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp, to criticize the tournament’s schedule as a “disaster”.
It is also worth noting that the Moroccan national team has qualified early for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. She will know her opponents in the final stage during the draw on October 12 for the tournament to be held from January 13 to February 11 next year.