Chelsea are set to smash the current world record fee paid for a goalkeeper with the signing of Athletic Bilbao’s Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Widespread reports, including from The Guardian, indicate the Blues are ready to pay the £71.6m release clause of the Spain international – a deal that will eclipse the current record fee of £67m that Liverpool paid for Alisson earlier this summer.
23-year-old Kepa will arrive as Maurizio Sarri’s new first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge and will pave the way for Thibaut Courtois to seal a move to Real Madrid, with the Belgium international having skipped training as he intends to push through a move.
Kepa, previously a top target for Real Madrid, signed a new long-term deal with Basque side Athletic earlier this year that raised his release clause significantly but he is ready to move to the Premier League as he aims to dethrone David De Gea in Spain’s pecking order.
He made his first-team debut for Athletic in 2016 and has since accumulated 53 LaLiga appearances.
