Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Keylor Navas Rumours After Failed Move

Amid the fallout of Real Madrid's failed move to land Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, current stopper Keylor Navas had a meeting with Rafa Benitez regarding his immediate future with the club, per AS.

According to the report, Benitez has told Navas he still believes in him as his No. 1 stopper, and Navas is expected to continue as the starter ahead of Kiko Casilla.

While much of the attention has gone to De Gea, the big name in the proposed deal, Navas is also an obvious victim of the debacle, something plenty of fans have forgotten about. Football writer Graham Ruthven hasn't:

To recap what transpired on Monday: Los Blancos had a deal in place that would send Navas and a cash fee to Old Trafford, with De Gea going the other way. The paperwork wasn't filed in time, however, and Sky Sports' Guillem Balague confirmed on Tuesday Real would not be appealing the decision not to go through with the transfer.

The club released a statement, laying the blame squarely at the feet of the Red Devils and claiming they did everything possible to ensure the transfer would be completed in time.

United disagreed, pointing out Los Blancos waited until the final day of the transfer window to make their offer and made big changes to the documentation, which slowed down the process. They also say they filed all of the paperwork in time.

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images

Regardless of which club is at fault or why the deal failed to go through, both teams are now stuck with their current starters. In the case of De Gea, little has changed―the Spaniard wants to move, and he'll just have to be a little more patient.

Navas' situation is less ideal, however. Real made it very clear to the 28-year-old that they wanted De Gea, and not him, between the sticks for the upcoming season and were even willing to send him to a different club to make the deal happen. And per the Daily Telegraph's Mark Ogden, he never seemed particularly keen on moving to Old Trafford to begin with:

"

Keylor Navas being portrayed as the patsy in this, reading between the lines of the Real statement. Seems he just didn't want to go.

— Mark Ogden (@MOgdenTelegraph) September 1, 2015"

Navas remains the most talented goalkeeper in Real's squad and one of the best stoppers in La Liga. There's no question he will start over Casilla, although this saga will have an impact on how he feels about the club and his current position.

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe doesn't see any way in which he doesn't keep his spot:

The good news for Real fans is that Navas has acted like a true professional throughout all of this and indeed all of last year, when he had to battle Iker Casillas for the starting position. There's no reason to believe he will let what happened on Monday affect his performances, having started the season in great form with back-to-back clean sheets.

According to Real's official website, Navas signed a six-year contract when he joined the club, so it's unclear where his future lies beyond the summer of 2016, when De Gea is a free agent and all but guaranteed to join Los Blancos.

He could stay with the club as De Gea's backup―and perhaps even battle for the starting position―or use the 2015-16 season as an opportunity to showcase his skills and increase his value ahead of a move next summer.

Either way, it appears Real's situation in goal is secure for the near future. The fact that Navas and Benitez met just one day after the botched deal is an encouraging sign, and thanks to the international break, the stopper will have a few days to get his mind in order. Once he returns to the Bernabeu, it should be business as usual.

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