By: Kamusime Barnabas
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand feels Jan Oblak would be an ideal signing for his former club following David de Gea’s latest blunders in the FA Cup.
However, Chelsea are also in the market for a goalkeeper with the London club also having problems with their Spanish goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga.
“He [De Gea] has had a bad spell, confidence is low, but does that mean you go out and get rid of him?” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
“Who is out there who is actually able to be bought and who is going to be a world-class goalkeeper right now at Manchester United?
“The only one I see is Oblak, but can you get him out of Atletico Madrid? And if you do how much are you going to have to spend? An obscene amount of money.”
There is also strong interest from Chelsea who are currently building an exciting new team at Stamford Bridge, and with Kepa not living up to his 80 million-euro price tag.
However, the Slovenian’s services won’t come cheap and the London outfit know that Atletico Madrid will not budge on the 120 million-euro buyout clause in their goalkeeper’s contract.
Everything depends on whether the player himself decides that he wants to move on, which is something he’s not considering at the moment with Atletico having qualified for next season’s Champions League.
The key for Oblak is that he is playing in a team that’s fighting for big trophies, and although he has a Europa League and a Spanish and European Supercup under his belt, a huge title like the Champions League is still missing.
Oblak made his thoughts on a possible exit clear in an interview with MARCA last summer after having signed a contract to take his release clause from 100 million euros to 120 million.
“Clauses are just numbers on a contract,” he said.
“If the intention of the player is to continue and the club want you to stay, then you are where you want to be.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s one million or 200 million, it doesn’t change anything.
“The most important thing is that both parties are happy and are on the same path.”
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