Chelsea star Kepa Arrizabalaga may not bring the curtain down on his Stamford Bridge career by making a quickfire return to Real Madrid as head coach Carlo Ancelotti believes the Champions League winners are well-stocked with goalkeeper options and has downplayed offering a route back to the Bernabeu.
The Blues’ 29-year-old shot-stopper made 20 appearances in all competitions while on loan at Real last season, getting his hands on the Champions League, LaLiga and Spanish Super Cup trophies in the process.
Thibaut Courtois started the Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in August 2023, while Ukrainian custodian Andriy Lunin remains at the club having only signed a new five-year contract in May.
Kepa’s Route Back to Real Madrid Blocked
Lunin will need to leave Bernabeu to have any hope of return
Although Lunin could yet depart, seeking more first-team football, an exit is not guaranteed and Real would expect at least €25m. As long as he remains, the door appears shut for Kepa getting a move back to Madrid, which is understood to be his preference.
During a media huddle ahead of Los Blancos’ friendly with Chelsea in Charlotte, Ancelotti told GIVEMESPORT:
“We love him. We love him… but in that position, we are covered. Kepa did really well last season. He was with us. We were really happy to have him here, but I don’t know what’s going to happen this season.”
Kepa had an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in June, and talks were advanced, but then-president Loay Nazer resigned and the deal fell through a month later.
However, Chelsea are still looking to offload Kepa before the summer transfer window closes. They accept they can’t get back the £71.6m (€80m) they paid Athletic Bilbao in 2018, but are willing to sell for close to £15m and get Kepa’s wages off the books. Along with Saudi Arabia, Kepa has drawn interest from Italy and Turkey but has been holding out to go back to Real.
Kepa is not part of Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States. With Filip Jorgensen arriving from Villarreal and Robert Sanchez also part of head coach Enzo Maresca’s plans, it is unlikely he will get first-team opportunities should the window shut and he is still a Chelsea player.
GIVEMESPORT sources already revealed on Sunday that another Blues star in Romelu Lukaku is also at risk of getting ‘stuck’ at Stamford Bridge with no impasse in talks with Napoli over a move.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s statistical averages per 90 minutes throughout his career compared to Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Kepa Arrizabalaga | Filip Jorgensen | Robert Sanchez | |
Pass completion percentage | 80.4 | 81.0 | 74.6 |
Save percentage | 70.5 | 72.1 | 70.2 |
Clean sheet percentage | 33.6 | 20.4 | 26.0 |
Percentage of penalties saved | 33.3 | 0.00 | 14.3 |
Goals against | 1.15 | 1.57 | 1.27 |
Statistics correct as of 05/08/2024 | |||
Ancelotti Urges Boehly to Remain Patient
Italian tactician impressed with Stamford Bridge signings
Ancelotti spent 2009-2011 as Chelsea manager, winning the 2009/10 Premier League and FA Cup. The west Londoners’ model under Clearlake-Boehly is now very different to the one Ancelotti knew under Roman Abramovich.
The Italian tactician said:
“It’s changed a lot. They invested a lot. They have a good squad, good young players. They have a young manager. They need to be a little bit patient, the owners, to [get] experience and to grow. But the signings that they have made are really good.”
Chelsea head into their pre-season clash against Real Madrid having suffered a 4-2 defeat to Manchester City in Ohio, while Real lost an El Clasico 2-1 to Barcelona in New Jersey.
The contest will be Real’s last warm-up fixture before they head to the National Stadium in Warsaw to face Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup on August 14.