Chelsea have recently added a new keeper to their rotation. They have signed Brighton’s Robert Sanchez to a seven-year contract, and the total package sent to Brighton will be around £25m. Sanchez fell out of favour at Brighton and lost his starting spot under Roberto De Zerbi. The expectation coming into this season was that Sanchez and fellow Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga would compete for the starting spot under Mauricio Pochettino. That looks like it will NOT be the case.
Bayern Munich is reportedly in advanced negotiations for Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga
Via Youtube, Fabrizio Romano states that Bayern and Chelsea are in “advanced talks” on a deal that would send Kepa to Bayern. Romano states that it is unclear at this point whether Real Madrid will enter the race, as they need to find a replacement for Courtois after his ACL injury. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg is reporting that Bayern has submitted a loan offer to Chelsea for Kepa that would include an option-to-buy at the season’s end.
Kepa joined Chelsea in 2018 after they triggered his release clause from Athletic Bilbao worth £71.6m. He is, to date, still the most expensive keeper ever. While he was the starter in the first two seasons at Chelsea, between 2020 and 2022, he lost that spot to Edouard Mendy, who ultimately help Chelsea win the UCL in 2021. Things turned around for Kepa last season, though, as he was once again the number-one choice after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel.
Bayern are preparing for life after legend Manuel Neuer. Unfortunately, it is believed that the veteran keeper is having a tough time rehabilitating from his surgery. He bizarrely broke his leg during a ski accident and it forced him to miss the rest of last season. Bayern brought in Yann Sommer to take over, but he has now departed for Inter.