Keylor Navas Set to Join Argentina's Newell's Old Boys
The Costa Rican goalkeeper is poised to strengthen Newell's Old Boys for the 2025 season.
Keylor Navas, the renowned Costa Rican goalkeeper, is on the verge of joining Newell's Old Boys, a historic football club based in Rosario, Argentina.
The 38-year-old will sign a one-year contract with the club, which has been home to a host of football legends such as Lionel Messi, Gabriel Batistuta, and Diego Maradona.
Founded on November 3, 1903, Newell's Old Boys was named in honor of Isaac Newell, the former director of the Colegio Comercial Anglo Argentino.
The club's home ground, the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium, can accommodate over 42,000 spectators.
Since 2009, it has been named after the celebrated coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Newell's Old Boys features a first-class training center known as the Jorge Griffa Training Center.
This facility spans 15 hectares and includes more than ten football fields.
The club also operates a social venue, an official store, and a restaurant-bar.
The club nickname, 'La Lepra,' dates back to the 1920s, when Newell's participated in a charity match to support patients with leprosy.
Keylor Navas' move comes as Newell's Old Boys seeks to significantly improve upon their 2024 season performance, where they finished 25th out of 28 in Argentina's Primera División. The team is also strengthening its squad with the appointment of new coach Mariano Sosso and acquisitions like Gonzalo Maroni and Ever Banega.
Navas, who did not play professionally in the latter half of 2024 following his contract expiration with PSG, has maintained fitness by training with Saprissa and Costa Rica's national team.
His addition to Newell's squad is expected to provide a boost in the upcoming 2025 season, which introduces a new competition format in the league, allowing the top eight teams from two groups of fifteen to enter the knockout phase.
In the Argentine league, Navas will join other prominent acquisitions such as Edinson Cavani of Boca Juniors and Iker Muniain of San Lorenzo, contributing to an influx of high-profile talent in the country's football scene in recent years.
The 38-year-old will sign a one-year contract with the club, which has been home to a host of football legends such as Lionel Messi, Gabriel Batistuta, and Diego Maradona.
Founded on November 3, 1903, Newell's Old Boys was named in honor of Isaac Newell, the former director of the Colegio Comercial Anglo Argentino.
The club's home ground, the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium, can accommodate over 42,000 spectators.
Since 2009, it has been named after the celebrated coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Newell's Old Boys features a first-class training center known as the Jorge Griffa Training Center.
This facility spans 15 hectares and includes more than ten football fields.
The club also operates a social venue, an official store, and a restaurant-bar.
The club nickname, 'La Lepra,' dates back to the 1920s, when Newell's participated in a charity match to support patients with leprosy.
Keylor Navas' move comes as Newell's Old Boys seeks to significantly improve upon their 2024 season performance, where they finished 25th out of 28 in Argentina's Primera División. The team is also strengthening its squad with the appointment of new coach Mariano Sosso and acquisitions like Gonzalo Maroni and Ever Banega.
Navas, who did not play professionally in the latter half of 2024 following his contract expiration with PSG, has maintained fitness by training with Saprissa and Costa Rica's national team.
His addition to Newell's squad is expected to provide a boost in the upcoming 2025 season, which introduces a new competition format in the league, allowing the top eight teams from two groups of fifteen to enter the knockout phase.
In the Argentine league, Navas will join other prominent acquisitions such as Edinson Cavani of Boca Juniors and Iker Muniain of San Lorenzo, contributing to an influx of high-profile talent in the country's football scene in recent years.
