Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is heading for a Chelsea exit this summer, but a permanent move to AFC Bournemouth is highly unlikely.
That’s according to Luca Bendoni, who reports that both Arrizabalaga and Bournemouth are exploring other options rather than sticking together.
The 30-year-old spent the season on loan at Bournemouth and featured 31 times in the Premier League this season under manager Andoni Iraola.
He managed eight clean sheets and also kept one in four FA Cup games.
Arrizabalaga has enjoyed a decent loan spell with the Cherries, establishing himself as a reliable presence between the sticks.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t translate into a permanent deal this summer, but not for the lack of trying.
Bendoni claims Bournemouth had already made a move to keep the Spaniard at the club but to no avail, so both sides are now considering other options on the market.
The good news for Chelsea is that Arrizabalaga has plenty of admirers both in England and abroad. The Blues are desperate to get him off their wage bill and could get their wish this summer.
Before making the switch to the south coast last summer, Arrizabalaga extended his Chelsea contract by one year, keeping him on the club’s payroll until June 2026.
There was also a £5 million release clause in the contract, which is now open for interested clubs.
The move was designed to protect the Blues’ transfer interests, allowing them to potentially recoup some value for a player who once held the title of the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
Liverpool face a major hurdle as transfer war expected for Jude Bellingham
Trending
Liverpool face a major hurdle as transfer war expected for Jude Bellingham
Arrizabalaga has no hopes of returning to Chelsea. The Blues have other plans and are already stacked up in the goalkeeping department.
At the moment, they’re still pondering what to do with Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, Filip Jorgensen, and the talented Mike Penders, who has turned heads with an exceptional loan spell at KRC Genk.
Chelsea’s initial idea was to give Petrovic and Penders a chance to displace Sanchez as the club’s number-one shot-stopper.
However, there have been talks of another loan deal for Penders while Petrovic’s future is still up in the air despite a transformative spell at RC Strasbourg.