Premier League duo Wolves and Southampton held talks with Gabriel Slonina but the highly-rated goalkeeper has his heart set on a move to European champions Real Madrid, agent Jaime Garcia tells MLS Soccer.
When it comes to Slonina, it seems Southampton are barking up the wrong tree.
But, with both Mateusz Lis and Bartlomiej Dragowski reportedly closing in on moves to England’s South Coast, the Saints certainly aren’t wasting any time as they move on to alternative options.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, in contrast, do not appear to have their ducks in a row. Bruno Lage expected John Ruddy to stay at Molineux, only to be overruled by his superiors in the Black Country (Athletic).
And Wolves appear to have been left in the lurch somewhat, with Jose Sa the only first-team goalkeeper in Lage’s squad.
Slonina, Chicago Fire’s 18-year-old wonderkid, could have taken Ruddy’s place but, after holding talks with both Wolves and Southampton, the teenager now appears to be under the spell of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are closing in on Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina
“It should be an honour for Chicago, and the MLS, to have Real Madrid take notice in one of their players,” says Garcia, Slonina’s representative. “We are hoping Chicago can find an agreement with Real Madrid to realise Gabriel’s dream of playing for this club.”
“With respect to other clubs and other offers – we’ve received many and we are gracious to those clubs – but you cannot say no to Real Madrid. This has the potential to be a great situation for everyone.”
Slonina, who has been likened to a ‘young Gigi Buffon’, will cost somewhere in the region of £6 million. And his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu will raise further questions regarding the future of Andriy Lunin.
The promising shot-stopper is reportedly a West Ham United target.
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