Crucial hours for Kiko Casilla's transfer to Real Madrid

This Saturday marks the decisive hours of Kiko Casilla's transfer to Real Madrid. The goalkeeper trained in the morning in Val d'Aran with the rest of the Espanyol team, and the Espanyol president, Joan Collet, will arrive at the team's concentration hotel in Vielha in the afternoon. The director of sports, Óscar Perarnau, is also expected to visit from Barcelona.

Collet may finally unlock Casilla's departure, as he has reached a preliminary agreement with Madrid since Friday and is still waiting for an understanding between both clubs. The transfer will be closed, if nothing strange happens, for an amount that will be around six million euros. The uncertainty lies in when the goalkeeper will leave the Espanyol team to join the team led by Rafa Benitez. The intention was for him to join the tour that the Madrid team will undertake to Australia this Sunday, although as the hours pass, the margin of maneuver is decreasing.

In the meantime, Casilla remains in Vielha, where Espanyol will play their first preseason friendly on Saturday afternoon (19:00 hours) against an amateur selection from Val d'Aran. Unless there is a major surprise and the goalkeeper is still in the Espanyol concentration at that time, it is practically certain that the coach, Sergio Gonzalez, will not give him any minutes. Espanyol has two other goalkeepers for the stay: Pau Lopez (who will be Casilla's successor) and German Parreno.

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