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Rabat – If not for his Africa Cup of Nations’ (AFCON) commitment with Morocco, Yassine Bounou would have secured a transfer to Real Madrid, with the Spanish club having told him he was their “first option” to replace Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has sustained a serious injury and could be sidelined for “most of the [2023-24] season.”
The Moroccan star goalkeeper confirmed the news himself during an interview with Canal Sur Radio, stressing that he was Carlo Ancelloti’s first option following Courtois’s serious knee injury.
Real Madrid only ruled Bounou out as their main replacement when they discussed the prospect of missing several marches due to Morocco’s much-anticipated appearances during the AFCON, which will kick off in January next year.
“That’s what I understand. Then, the board analyzed the situation, saw that I could go to the Africa Cup of Nations and miss a lot of marches in an important month for Real Madrid, and it couldn’t happen,” Bounou said, noting that the Spanish giant also had other loan options that “suited them better.”
Bounou, who recently joined the Saudi club Al Hilal after the Real Madrid deal collapsed, acknowledged that the AFCON had a big influence on both his decision and that of his compatriot and former Sevilla teammate Youssef En-Nesyri during the just-closed transfer window.
Read also: MARCA: Yassine Bounou Favorite to Replace Courtois at Real Madrid
Reporting on Bounou’s interview with Canal Sur Radio, the Spanish sports website Marca stressed that the AFCON usually “hinders” word-class African players’ “chances of finding a destination in European clubs as it coincides with a period of many league matches and cup competitions.”
During his interview, Bounou also mentioned receiving other transfer proposals from several elite European clubs, including Bayern Munich.
“Bayern was in contact with Sevilla. They asked me to wait and said they would send an offer,” he said, noting that his potential move did not happen as the German club was only looking for a loan.
“Unfortunately, clubs now don’t want to spend, it’s difficult,” Bounou explained.
He also spoke of En-Nesyri’s stay at Sevilla, saying he thinks that his former teammate is not sad.
“He is looking forward to having a great year,” he said, noting that that’s what he felt when he last met the Sevilla striker.
“Youssef knows how to handle situations and now he is fine, I don’t see that he is sad,” he continued.
The world-class goalkeeper also suggested that En-Nesyri cannot leave Sevila at the moment although he has received several offers.
“He had offers, I spoke with him and his representative. He had proposals from other teams, but he cannot change Sevilla for anything. He has a story there,” he concluded.
