Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea push goalkeeper towards exit door with long overdue move to Serie A giants in pipeline

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edouard Mendy, Chelsea, August 2021

Chelsea are pushing one of their goalkeepers towards a summer departure, with reports backing up where he might move next.

The goalkeeping department has become a bit of a problem for Chelsea that they will need to address in the summer. Neither Kepa Arrizabalaga nor Edouard Mendy have convinced in the number one role.

That said, both are of a decent enough standard to feel worthy of being a regular starter somewhere. Hence, Chelsea might have to pick one or the other – or alternatively still, get rid of both and establish a new hierarchy with new players.

For a long time, it looked as if Kepa would be the one on the way out. The Spaniard has struggled to justify his status as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

It prompted Chelsea to subsequently invest in Mendy, who initially did well. However, current head coach Graham Potter has preferred to use Arrizbalaga in general.

Therefore, there have been growing rumours about Mendy’s future as well. In December, he was suggested as a possible target for Serie A side, Juventus.

Now, reports in Kepa’s native Spain are confirming that is indeed an option for Mendy.

It is reiterated that Juventus want to upgrade their squad no matter how much it takes in the summer. One area to address is in goal, where they are ready to replace Wojciech Szczesny.

Therefore, Juventus are looking at Mendy as one of their main targets. In fact, it has been claimed that they were interested in him even before signing Szczesny in 2017, when they were in need of a successor to the legend that is Gianluigi Buffon.

Now, six years later, they might finally be able to land the former Rennes man.

Mendy could be shown door by Chelsea

From Chelsea’s perspective, there seems to be an acceptance that it might be time to let go of Mendy this year.

Although his contract is due to last until 2025, Mendy might not have long left at Stamford Bridge. After his 104 appearances for the club, he might be a bit unlucky, but things can change quickly in football.

He only ever played for French clubs before his move to England with Chelsea. Hence, experiencing Italian football would be another new challenge for the 31-year-old.

Furthermore, the prospect of being an out-and-out number one might be more appealing to him.

If he does leave, that doesn’t necessarily mean Kepa will be safe at Stamford Bridge either. The Spaniard is also due to be out of contract in 2025 and some may still have doubts about his own ability.

Much will depend on Chelsea’s own plans for new signings in between the sticks. They will surely be looking at their options after how aggressive they have been in strengthening other areas of their squad via the transfer market.

And if a high-pedigree shot-stopper arrives, Kepa might be back in the same dilemma he was when Mendy was starting regularly instead of him.

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