Chelsea look to Kepa

Posted Tuesday, August 07, 2018 by Marca.com

With Real Madrid determined to sign Thibaut Courtois before the close of the English transfer window, Chelsea are now looking to Kepa Arrizabalaga to replace the Belgian.

Courtois was absent from training on Monday without permission from the Blues, and it's clear that the goalkeeper is attempting to force through a move away from Stamford Bridge, a transfer that Los Blancos have been confident of since the World Cup.

Maurizio Sarri has endured a torrid pre-season and has only managed to bring one player to Chelsea, although Kepa was a target of his to replace Pepe Reina during the Italian coach's time with Napoli and would represent a high-quality replacement for the outgoing Courtois.

Real Madrid themselves almost closed a transfer for the Spanish stopper in January, although a disagreement between Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez ensured that such a deal wasn't able to go through, something which led to Kepa signing an improved contract with Athletic Club.

This aforementioned contract included a buy-out clause of 80 million euros, a figure that would likely far outweigh what Los Blancos would need to pay to sign Chelsea's current first choice goalkeeper due to the fact his current contract expires in June 2019.

Chelsea would offer the Spaniard a five-year contract which would likely be worth six million euros on an annual basis, although as of Monday afternoon there hasn't been concrete contact between the two clubs.

Kepa's future is a situation that could get messy, especially with the English transfer window closing on Thursday, and the stopper will be forced to make a decision with the Basque club expecting him to be present at training on Tuesday morning.

Athletic Club are in a comfortable position with regards to goalkeepers with Iago Herrerin and Alex Remiro both in place at the Estadio San Mames, and any sale of Kepa would represent their record fee recouped for a player departure.