As soon as the news broke out regarding Thibaut Courtois' injury, media outlets in Spain started naming goalkeepers that could join Los Merengues to replace the Belgian. Apparently, that search has ended quicker than anyone anticipated.
According to Sky Sport Germany and Diario As, the Spanish side has reached an initial agreement with Chelsea to hire Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan. The possibility of watching the Blues' goalie joining Los Merengues has increased in recent hours, following Kepa's decision to snub an offer from Bayern in favor of Real Madrid's proposal.
The Blues and the Spanish club have already agreed that Arrizabalaga will join the La Liga outfit on loan, although a permanent transfer clause could be included in the final contract if the player requests it. Real Madrid will not send any players to Stamford Bridge in exchange, making this a pure loan deal when it is confirmed.
Kepa came close to joining Real Madrid in 2018, when Florentino Pérez had already agreed a $20M fee for his services with his former club, Athletic Club. Nevertheless, coach Zinedine Zidane pulled the plug on that move in favor of his No. 1 goalie, Keylor Navas, and the deal was scrapped.
In the past few days, Kepa was mentioned among the candidates to replace Courtois along with David De Gea, Bono, Samir Handanovic, and a couple more options. Apparently, the Basque shot-stopper is set to become a new member of Los Merengues, but we will have to wait for further developments to confirm this move.
