Real Madrid have their eye on Leno

Posted Monday, March 30, 2015 by Marca.com

The talks with Argentina's Augusto Batalla, the interest in David de Gea, and the question marks surrounding the future of Iker Casillas all show that Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on the shotstopper market.

There can be no denying that everything hangs on the Real Madrid captain's decision on his future.

A few days ago it was Petr Cech, complete with a come-and-get-me plea, who cropped up as one of the candidates, but now a new name has made the shortlist. We are talking about Bernd Leno, the first-choice goalie for Bayer Leverkusen and the Germany under-21s alike.

The goalkeeper who gave Atlético de Madrid a scare in their bid to make it through to the Champions League quarter-finals has caught the eye of the Real Madrid coaches. The final game in which the German was examined in detail was in his appearance for the Germany under-21s against Italy. The 23-year-old is one of the oldest and most accomplished players in the side and will play in the Euros in June (he is eligible having been of the right age when the qualifying process began).

Leno is no longer considered a promise for the future but a reality in the present - something which he made abundantly clear against Atlético. Even though he did not exactly have his work cut out in the 210 minutes which the tie lasted, he was capable of giving Diego Simeone's men a scare in the penalty shootout, stopping Koke's strike and guessing the right way with the rest.