David de Gea and Thibout Courtois are two of the most likely candidates to take Keylor Navas' place if Real Madrid do decide to replace the Costa Rican this summer and, for that reason, Juni Calafat was in attendance as Manchester United visited Chelsea in the FA Cup last Monday evening.
Calafat is the head of Los Blancos' international department and is in charge of the club's transfers, so he made the most of the chance to scout both players at once.
After taking notes on the two shot stoppers - and on other players - he spent time in the 'player room' after the match and was able to speak to various figures, leaving with the sensation that a signing could be worth making at the end of this season.
When a director as high profile as Calafat makes the trip to watch a match in person, it usually means that scouting process is at an advanced stage and he will have been impressed by what he saw from both goalkeepers, with N'Golo Kante's effort the only one to hit the back of the net.
In the case of De Gea, he remains highly thought of at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and frustration remains that his 2015 transfer fell through at the last moment, while his promotion to the No.1 role in the Spanish national team has further raised his stock.
As for Courtois, he is also held in high regard and the future of Real Madrid's goalkeeping gloves now rests on the decisions of club president Florentino Perez and on those of Manchester United and Chelsea.
