Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is reportedly set to fly to London as soon as possible to complete his €80million transfer to Chelsea.
According to AS, the Blues are preparing to pay the young shot-stopper’s release clause as manager Maurizio Sarri hopes to give him his debut against Huddersfield Town this weekend.
This is perhaps far from ideal preparation for Chelsea as they kick off their new season, with the transfer deadline looming as a star player looks set to depart.
MORE: Chelsea star confident of forcing late transfer as he faces hefty punishment from Blues
That man is Thibaut Courtois, with AS among the sources reporting that the Belgium international is closer to securing his exit from Stamford Bridge after going AWOL from training with the club.
Kepa would certainly be a decent replacement, though this late move smacks of desperation somewhat from CFC.
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Loading ...Courtois’ future has looked in doubt for some time as he’s run down his contract to its final year, so it’s unclear why Chelsea are leaving it so late to sign a replacement.
This also comes after Gianluca Di Marzio and others linked Chelsea with goalkeeper Alisson earlier this summer, though they were beaten to his signature by Liverpool.
The Brazilian would have been slightly cheaper than Kepa (joining for £66.8m according to BBC Sport), and also looks the more proven and experienced player.