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Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has explained that he had offers to depart the Santiago Bernabeu this summer and considered a change before opting to stay.
Lunin has been on Los Blancos' accounts since 2018, having been signed from Ukranian side Zorya Lugansk that summer. He had notably spent only one season with Lugansk at the time after moving there from FK Dnipro, where he spent two years and played for both their U19s and first team.
However, in these five years, he has been the Spanish giants' backup goalkeeper, playing just 19 times across competitions and keeping five clean sheets. Lunin has also had multiple loan spells in this time with Real Valladolid, Leganes and Real Oviedo.
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Speaking to Spanish mediahouse El Chiringuito, the 24-year-old explained that he recieved offers to move out of his current club this summer. He said (as quoted by @MadridXtra on X):
"At the end of last season I was thinking about it [leaving the club]. It's normal when you don't play.
"But Real Madrid has always been a dream since I was young, you don't really want to leave. But you always want to play, you train to play, you want to feel the emotions of the games... we will see, now I'm focused on training."
The Ukrainian concluded:
"There were offers from other clubs but I didn't talk to them, there was nothing serious."
Some Real Madrid fans believed Lunin would receive a run in the first team after Thibaut Courtois suffered an ACL injury in training in August before the La Liga season began. However, the club brought in Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan until the end of the campaign just a few days after Courtois' season-ending injury.
"We are competing but only on the pitch" - Real Madrid's Andriy Lunin on relationship with Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa's arrival has thus seen Lunin make just two league appearances for Los Blancos this term. Both came at the start of the season, with the latter conceding once as Real Madrid beat Athletic Club 2-0 and saw off Almeria 3-1.
Kepa has played in their next nine matches across La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, helping them win eight times (one loss). He has kept five clean sheets and conceded seven goals.
During his aforementioned interview, Lunin was asked about his relationship with the Spaniard, to which he replied (as quoted by @MadridXtra on X):
"I do what I have to, at the end it's Ancelotti who decides. Kepa and I compete, we do the same work, we will see, the season is long. We are competing but only on the pitch, off the pitch it's all perfect [between us].
"He's a new player, just like I was a few years ago. We have to act like a team."
Kepa is expected to keep his place in Real Madrid's starting XI when they return to action after the ongoing international break. Carlo Ancelotti's men will visit Sevilla in La Liga on October 21 in their first game back.
