Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is said to have been attracting interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad while currently being out on loan to Real Madrid.
Kepa, who became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time when he was bought by Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for a base price of 71 million euros in 2018, could not establish himself as the No. 1 keeper in London.
So when Real Madrid approached the London-based club to sign the Spaniard on loan to replace an injured Thibaut Courtois, the deal went through. In Madrid, the 29-year-old impressed in his first few appearances before being replaced by Andriy Lunin as the No. 1 keeper.
Al Ittihad Shows Interest In Kepa Arrizabalaga
Spanish outlet MARCA is now reporting that Saudi Arabian club AL-Ittihad, one of the richer clubs in the country, is looking to sign Kepa and has offered a deal that the keeper will find hard to reject.
At the moment, Los Blancos are keeping an eye on Kepa. This is because, following a brilliant season for Lunin, which saw the Ukrainian win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, he is attracting interest from several clubs in Europe.
With Courtois coming back next season, Real Madrid would need a solid No. 2 goalkeeper, and Kepa has shown on numerous occasions that he can be that man.
Chelsea is using Serbian goalkeeper Petrovic as their No. 1 goalkeeper at the moment. One might think that they would want to keep Kepa around. But that might not be the case.
However, in a recent interview with MARCA, Kepa Arrizabalaga admitted that he wants to stay at Real Madrid and wants the Spanish club to complete a full-time deal with the South London club, saying:
“My intention is to stay [with Real Madrid] for more than a year. It only took a couple of calls because when Real Madrid calls, it is different. I felt the Chelsea project was not the right one.”
He continued, “Real Madrid is Real Madrid. When Real Madrid calls you, it’s easy. I’ve faced Real three times with Chelsea. When I arrived at Bernabeu, I always turned left, to the visiting dressing room, but I wanted to turn right, to the local dressing room… I said it then, and I still hope to stay. But we haven’t spoken about that or negotiated anything yet. It’s only October, and we’re focused on the busy schedule.”
With Kepa’s future hanging in the balance, it remains to be seen where he ends up next season and whether he is the No. 1 goalkeeper on his team.
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