Chelsea will consider a loan deal for Kepa Arrizabalaga as Frank Lampard looks to offload the Spaniard this summer, according to reports.
The 25-year-old has been unable to convince manager Lampard that he is Chelsea’s long-term keeper.
Arrizabalaga put in a shaky performance in the 5-3 defeat at Liverpool and the Chelsea boss dropped him for the final game of the season, with Willy Caballero replacing him.
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It’s not the first time that Lampard has dropped the 25-year-old this season. Earlier in the campaign Caballero replaced Arrizabalaga after Lampard was not happy with his displays.
Now the Daily Mail claim that Chelsea are willing to listen to offers of over £50m for the Spanish goalkeeper. And if they are unable to sell the Kepa they will sanction a long-term loan for the player.
The Blues paid a record £72million for a keeper when bringing Kepa to west London from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. So they are willing to take a £20m hit on the player, unless a loan is sorted out.
However, any interested loan suitors will have to pay a significant amount of Kepa’s £150,000-a-week wages.
At the start of last month the Daily Telegraph claimed he had nine games to save his Chelsea career. But his efforts have not been enough and Chelsea will look for buyers for the player.
Spanish outlet Sport reported in May that Valencia goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen looked set to leave the Mestalla this summer, and Arrizabalaga was being eyed up as a potential replacement.
The Telegraph also mentioned Burnley keeper Nick Pope and Ajax stopper Andre Onana as realistic targets to replace Arrizabalaga.
Last week Lampard was asked what qualities he wanted in a goalkeeper.
Lampard said: “I think clearly you want them to be talented to keep balls out of the net. It is old school but it’s the first and foremost job in what a goalkeeper should keep closest to their heart.
“The idea of clean sheets, it’s not always culpable on them, of course. For a keeper to have a real desire and talent to produce that.
“But in the modern day they are even more involved than ever. To use their feet, to be a personality… all-round ability which you see with the top-level goalkeepers in the world.
“We were fortunate to see at Chelsea that we had ones we can certainly say were part of huge eras for the club.
“That has to be Kepa’s desire, to be that person for this club and be a goalkeeper in his own right to say that he’s a huge part of a successful team.”