The season-long loan of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to Real Madrid has been officially announced.
Thibaut Courtois, the starting goalkeeper for the Spanish team, suffered an ACL injury last week, only days before centre-back Eder Militao had the same fate.
Madrid concentrated their proposals on Kepa and have already secured a loan deal for the Chelsea goalie after discussions with Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou came to a standstill.
Bayern Munich and former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel have both expressed interest in Kepa, but Madrid’s interest in a loan deal moved remarkably swiftly over the weekend, and they have now confirmed his arrival.
“We were close and in fact we wanted to introduce Kepa today,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Sunday. “But he is Spanish and he chose Real Madrid.”
Edouard Mendy was sold to Al Ahli by Chelsea this summer, and Robert Sanchez from Brighton was brought in to take his place.
After Chelsea accepted Madrid’s offer, Sanchez was suddenly included in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting lineup on Sunday, despite expectations that he would face off against Kepa.
Chelsea will likely return to the transfer market to look for a Kepa replacement as a result.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, a player for Valencia who was also wanted by Real Madrid, has long been a favorite of the Blues. At this time in the window, Diogo Costa of Porto is viewed as being too pricey.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has completed a season-long loan move to Real Madrid. ✍️
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 14, 2023