5 players Real Madrid should have targeted in January

#2 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao)

Kepa should have been signed by the Madrid hierarchy last month

The decision not to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga in January is set to haunt Real Madrid in the coming years. A deal was supposedly in place for Madrid to sign the highly rated custodian from Athletic Bilbao.

But Zinedine Zidane's side backed out at the last moment and subsequently, Kepa signed a new long-term deal with Bilbao. He had a paltry release clause of €20 million in January which is essentially peanuts in today's market. Real Madrid really did miss a trick by opting not to sign the future Spanish no.1 last month.

There have been talks around the club that the management is not happy with the form of Keylor Navas who they feel is not at the same level since his injury. This was the reason why Real Madrid were linked with David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois for the entire month of January.

Despite needing a goalkeeper and having one willing to join for a low transfer fee, Real Madrid opted not to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga. Los Blancos might need to spend a big amount in the summer to rope in a goalkeeper.