Last summer was a big one for the goalkeeper market, with Manchester City signing Gianluigi Donnarumma, Barcelona bringing in Joan Garcia and Manchester United opting for Senne Lammens, among others.
This summer, Tottenham and Chelsea may have to enter the market for new keepers, which could spark its own domino effect.
Guglielmo Vicario is running out of time as Tottenham’s number one and Antonin Kinsky’s doomed cameo against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday ensured he is out of the race to replace him.
Meanwhile, Chelsea swapped Robert Sanchez for Filip Jorgensen on Wednesday and saw their own back-up make mistakes, with their first choice having experienced his own ups and downs during his time at the club.
The Blues could solve their own goalkeeping headache by promoting Mike Penders after his loan from Strasbourg, but after missing out on a more famous Mike – AC Milan’s Maignan – last summer, there could be demand for a more renowned upgrade.
Keep an eye out for Newcastle and Leeds as other clubs who might be considering their goalkeeping options, and the likes of Inter Milan on the continent.
But which goalkeepers could be available to meet the needs of those clubs?
10) Konstantinos Tzolakis (Olympiakos)
It was a bit odd to see Tzolakis linked with Liverpool last month, but the Olympiacos regular could have his pick of other, more needy clubs in the summer.
The 23-year-old is a full Greece international and is approaching the last year of his contract with Olympiacos, who will have to decide whether to cash in.
Nottingham Forest have also been tipped to move him from one Marinakis club to another – and they do love a goalkeeper signing – but there will be plenty of suitors in mainland Europe for Tzolakis too.
9) Noah Atubolu (Freiburg)
The keeper with the highest market value on Transfermarkt with a contract expiring in 2027, Atubolu has played more than 100 games for Freiburg.
The German side may have to consider offers for him in the summer to avoid losing him for free, especially after Fabrizio Romano stated this month that he has “no plans to extend” his contract.
A move to Serie A has been touted.
READ MORE: The 20 best players out of contract in 2027…
8) Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool)
It feels a bit tricky, if not impossible, to imagine a scenario where both Alisson and Mamardashvili continue at Liverpool for a second season together.
Alisson is approaching the final year of his contract, but the current expectation is that he’ll fulfil it, which could consign ex-Valencia number one Mamardashvili to a second season on the bench.
Liverpool are unlikely to sell the Georgian, whom they consider Alisson’s successor, but there have been whispers of him pushing for a loan.
And given the 25-year-old’s potential when playing regularly, that has to be somebody’s short-term solution. We dare Chelsea to make that call.
7) Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
The German legend is out of contract at the end of the season and Bayern Munich have big plans for Jonas Urbig to become their long-term number one.
Neuer could yet get a new contract but Bayern are in no rush as his 40th birthday approaches and he recovers from an injury.
Sporting director Max Eberl said: “We know what age Manu is. We have always said, now he should first turn 40 at the end of March. And then we will sit down in peace and talk. Then he has to tell us how he feels, what his mood is like. And we have to decide for ourselves how to proceed. He’s had an outstanding season so far, he’s a top goalkeeper. But this injury doesn’t change anything for us.”
Neuer has been with Bayern for more than a decade and was the best in the world at his peak. If he’s not ready to retire and his contract lapses, it would be fascinating to imagine him at another club.
6) Bart Verbruggen (Brighton)
Brighton are notoriously tough sellers but are still the kind of club who can offer a platform towards bigger things.
Verbruggen has been with them for three years now and has also become an established Netherlands international during that time.
Chelsea have shown interest in yet another raid on Brighton, our colleagues at TEAMtalk have reported.
5) Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica)
Trubin was one of the names tipped for Manchester City before they bought Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford.
The 24-year-old is likely to have other potential routes out of Benfica – and possibly into the Premier League – after a season in which he has only conceded 15 goals from 23 games in the league.
Trubin even scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League for good measure, which absolutely isn’t what clubs will be signing him to do, but can’t have harmed his profile.
4) Diogo Costa (Porto)
Perennially linked with major European clubs but still at Porto after seven years, could Costa put himself back in the shop window if Portugal have a decent World Cup run?
It may not help that he signed a new contract with Porto just before Christmas, but his release clause decreased from €75m to €60m with the updated deal.
Still only 26, Costa’s days of being a name in the gossip columns are unlikely to be over.
3) James Trafford (Manchester City)
Of all the goalkeepers that were on the move last summer, you might struggle to find one filled with more regret than Trafford.
Just weeks after thinking he’d landed a dream opportunity with Manchester City, the club went and signed Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain, crushing his hopes of claiming the starting role.
Unused in the Premier League since Donnarumma’s arrival, Trafford may have to seek an exit from the Etihad to avoid his career stagnating.
Still only 23, he was close to joining Newcastle before City came back in for him and that could be one of the avenues that opens back up for him.
2) Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Martinez got itchy feet in the summer when Manchester United were interested in buying him before opting for Lammens instead.
Unai Emery hasn’t had to utter the words ‘Marco. Bizot.’ like a broken record too much since, but Martinez might still have ideas of an exit.
The likes of Inter and Juventus have been linked with the Argentine, who has a long contract at Aston Villa but is now 33 and may start to decline in market value.
1) Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund)
Kobel has been Borussia Dortmund’s number one for the past five seasons after joining from Stuttgart and is a regular for Switzerland too
His impressive form has led to links with a Premier League move and at the age of 28 he could be ready. There are two years left on his contract, so a lot will depend on Dortmund’s valuation.
He refused to comment on transfer speculation last summer, but if he doesn’t sign a new deal in Germany, it soon could be the optimal time for Dortmund to cash in.
Kobel has kept the most clean sheets of any Bundesliga goalkeeper this season and Newcastle are among the clubs linked, but there could be more offers to field.
