Real Madrid sign Kepa Arrizabalaga: report
The goalkeeper will not be in Chelsea’s squad for the match against Liverpool
Real Madrid have agreed a verbal loan deal with Chelsea’s goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, reported Fabrizio Romano on Saturday.
The loan deal does not include an obligation to buy as Madrid only want him to cover for Thibaut Courtois who is out for the rest of the season with an injury.
Kepa was in constant talks with Bayern Munich but once the Los Blancos made contact with him, the Spaniard discarded the German club.
It must be noted that Kepa almost joined the Whites in 2018 but the move was blocked by then Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane who insisted on keeping Keylor Navas.
The Whites were also interested in signing Yassine Bounou but that option was discarded due to Sevilla’s high demands, according to Goal’s Javier Birlanga.
Other than Bounou, Madrid also made contact with former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.
He was wanted by Los Blancos in 2015 and everything was done but the documents could not arrive on time due to a fax machine issue.
De Gea is available as a free agent after the Spaniard announced to leave Man United last month.
It must be noted that Madrid are in the market for a goalkeeper due to injury to Courtois.
Courtois left training in tears on Thursday after suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.
Courtois' left knee turned when he went to pick up a ball in the final training game.
The Belgian will undergo surgery during the next few days.
“After the tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois, he’s been diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days,” Real Madrid said in a brief statement.
According to The Athletic's Mario Cortegana, Courtois is likely to miss the entire season. He added that the best-case scenario for the goalkeeper is returning to the pitch in April.
The 31-year-old has been a key member of Real's side since joining from Chelsea in 2018. He has made 230 appearances for the Spanish club, winning two La Liga titles and one Champions League.
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