Chelsea and Napoli have reportedly reached an agreement over the transfer of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The 27-year-old Spanish shot-stopper will join the Serie A club on a season-long loan deal after a disappointing spell at Stamford Bridge.
In 2018, Kepa was the subject of a record football transfer when he completed a move from Athletic Club to Chelsea in a deal worth $82M (£72 million), a record fee for a goalkeeper. However, his career has largely been characterized by costly errors, eventually forcing the Blues to enter the transfer market and secure the service of now-first choice goalie Eduoard Mendy from Stade Rennes in 2020.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Arrizabalaga's fortunes has not seen any improvements and his chances of having another sniff at manning the post has also dwindled following the signing of USA Under-20s goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire. Over the weekend, the young shot-stopper was given the go-ahead to fly to London to complete a medical and sign the paperwork to join the West London club.
Kepa removed from men's team squad on Chelsea's official website. #CFC
— Pys (@CFCPys) August 1, 2022
Last week, multiple reports from Italy and England indicated that Napoli were keen on giving Kepa a lifeline to reboot his career. Per the claims, Chelsea are said to be willing to cover a large chunk of the Spaniard's $233,000-a-week wages should an agreement be reached. All is seemingly moving in the right direction with Sky Italia reporting that a deal has been struck between the two clubs.
According to the report, Kepa should be allowed to fly to Naples after Chelsea and Napoli straighten out the final details of the deal. At the moment, only the Champions League and top four bonuses are apparently left to be discussed.
