The ‘keeper has been linked with the Gunners after falling down the pecking order at the Bernabeu.
Iker Casillas’ future at Real Madrid has been thrown into doubt after he was displaced as the Spanish club’s number one goalkeeper by new boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The 32-year-old was a surprise absentee from the starting line-up for Madrid’s opening La Liga match against Betis and found himself on the bench, as he did for much of last season after a fall-out with ex-manager Jose Mourinho, with Diego Lopez deployed in his place.
Speculation has since been rampant that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could make a shock move o bring the 149-capped Spain international to the Emirates Stadium and finally conclude his long-standing pursuit of a world class custodian.
However, despite not being able to guarantee Casillas he will be first-choice at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti played down talk he could leave and insists the decision to start with Lopez was for the good of the team.
“The club is very lucky to have two fantastic keepers and I have to make the decisions,” he told talkSPORT.
“It is normal for me to make this kind of decision and gauge the reaction. I am not going to say who the keeper will be.
“There has been a lot of talk going around and I would prefer to talk to both players first. Then I will make a decision, but it will not be definitive.
“It is important to know that I make decisions so that the team wins. And above all, it is important to understand that it is not Iker or Diego who is playing; it is the Real Madrid goalkeeper.”
Wenger is also reportedly weighing up a £10 million bid for Newcastle shot-stopper Tim Krul as he steps up his recruitment drive before the transfer deadline.
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