Keylor Navas hopeful Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Real Madrid but admits he hasn't spoken to him over summer

Sport360 staff 14:54 03/07/2017
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  • Whites team-mates: Navas and Ronaldo.

    While Real Madrid’s players don’t report back for pre-season training until July 10th, the future of Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated the close season and much of the summer of transfer speculation thus far.

    Despite backing from Real President Florentino Perez, Ronaldo’s long-term future at the club still remains unclear – particularly following tax fraud allegations against him.

    But for Keylor Navas, who enjoys a good relationship with the Whites club legend, he is optimistic Ronaldo will stay at the Bernabeu.

    He said: “No, I haven’t called him. I don’t get involved in these things. Obviously I always want him to be my teammate as a player who does what he does can’t go. I hope he doesn’t go and that he’s with us for many years.”

    In a wide-ranging interview with Marca in his native Costa Rica, the 30-year-old shot-stopper also admitted he “will always fight to the death” to keep his place as Los Blancos No.1 – given there have been plenty of rumours that Real have been lining up David de Gea as his replacement.

    “I will always fight to the death against whoever I have to in a fair fight. I will never ask to be gifted anything because I have never asked and I have also never needed to.”

    He added: “The truth is that I’m very calm. I focus on what I can do, which is to work, to improve and to try to win the starting spot against whichever colleagues I have. I only think about working and winning titles, but I’m calm and try to enjoy things day by day.

    “There is no need to worry about the future because God knows where we’ll all be. I’m very calm and am enjoying my holiday, my country and my family. I will always have time to think about what comes next, but for now I have a lot of peace of mind.”

    Navas reserved special praise for his coach, Zinedine Zidane, of whom he feels indebted to through the support he has shown him.

    “I am very grateful to Zidane and I always will be. He has always given me a lot of confidence and in the not-so-good moments he has been there. Everything that happened this year and the year before I owe to him and I’m extremely grateful.

    “There aren’t words to express my gratitude for what he has done. When you’re in a complicated situation it is very important that the coach gives you confidence and tells you to remain calm and that we’re pressing ahead and that he is with you to the death.”

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