Thibaut Courtois’ injury has certainly shaken up Real Madrid’s summer plans. The Belgian has torn his ACL and could very well be out of action for the rest of the season. Initially, Los Blancos were expected to sign a cover option in goal in case Andriy Lunin departed. But now, they need a new number one, even if on a short-term basis.
The idea of signing David de Gea as a free agent has been floated in the media. Yassine Bounou was rumoured to be a potential target as well.
But it looks like Real Madrid are not going to sign either one of them. Instead, it is Kepa Arrizabalaga who is looking the likeliest to wear the first-team gloves for Los Blancos next season.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano on Instagram, Real Madrid are closing in on a loan deal to sign Kepa as Courtois’ replacement. The player decided to join Los Blancos despite talks with Bayern Munich.
Fabrizio Romano confirms Real Madrid are close to next signing
It is actually fascinating that Kepa is wanted by both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid despite being so heavily criticised during his time at Chelsea. In fact, the Premier League club’s fans appear to be very open to the idea of seeing him leave Stamford Bridge.
Kepa signed with Chelsea back in 2018 for a transfer fee believed to be around €80 million. That was a world-record for a goalkeeper and it is safe to say that he has not matched the expectations that came with the move.
Kepa has even spent significant time as the number two at Chelsea. His performances showed a lot of promise last season though and with Real Madrid in need of a goalkeeper, it looks like they have opted to push for the Spaniard, who came through the youth ranks at Athletic Bilbao.