Chelsea seek to end £71m nightmare in Real Madrid swap but Liverpool may scupper deal

Kepa Arrizabalaga’s troublesome stay at Chelsea may finally come to a permanent end as Todd Boehly’s side look to secure a swap deal with a Real Madrid keeper wanted by Liverpool.

Kepa made the headlines in August 2018 when he became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after leaving Athletic Bilbao for Chelsea in a record £71.6m deal.

The Spaniard, who succeeded Thibaut Courtois in between the sticks at the Blues following his £35m move to Madrid a few days earlier, started well at Stamford Bridge, keeping six clean sheets in his side’s 12-match unbeaten run.

However, the moment that, arguably, defined his stay at Chelsea was during the 2019 Carabao Cup final. With the match at 0-0 near the end of extra time, then Blues boss Maurizio Sarri called for Kepa to be subbed off for Willy Caballero for the upcoming penalty shootout.

The Spain international, however, refused to be substituted and Chelsea went on to lose the game, despite the keeper saving one of the spot-kicks. Although he later apologised, and played a big part in helping Chelsea win that season’s Europa League, the tough times would continue for the 6ft 2in stopper.

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The following campaign under new boss Frank Lampard, Chelsea failed to win any trophies as they were hit by a transfer embargo and the Spaniard’s form suffered in the process.

On occasion, he lost his place in the starting XI to Caballero, Lampard publicly criticised his performances, and when Edouard Mendy signed from Rennes in late 2020, his game time was limited once more.

Fast forward to the present and the 29-year-old is facing an uncertain future at Chelsea. He spent last season on loan at Madrid but made just 20 appearances and with his contract up next summer, the Blues may try and cash in on him now.

Almost inevitably, he has been linked with a move to the cash-rich Saudi Pro League – a place where former Blues team-mates N’Golo Kante, Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly went to last year – but a European transfer could yet be on the cards.

Chelsea swap deal on the cards

According to Spanish publication AS, Chelsea are in talks with Los Blancos about Kepa returning to Santiago Bernabeu for next season.

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However, the report adds that Madrid’s backup keeper, Andriy Lunin, would head in the other direction as part of a swap deal.

The Ukraine international signed for Madrid in 2020 from Zorya Luhansk but he has made just 48 appearances for the La Liga giants – and he is out of contract next summer.

He has had to play second fiddle to Courtois and while he made 31 appearances last season when the Belgian was out injured, the 25-year-old appears to want to be a first-choice keeper going forward. With Courtois back fit, that may be a big ask, though.

Lunin said earlier this summer: “We’ll see, we’ll see. We will know in just a little bit of time. The only thing I can say is that everything was going the right way about me staying and now the ball is on Real Madrid’s court. That’s all I can say about my future. It’s all in their hands now.”

There is no guarantee a Chelsea-Madrid swap will happen, however, as Liverpool have reportedly been targeting the former Leganes loanee. Unless number one keeper Alisson leaves Anfield, Lunin may struggle to be first choice at the Merseyside team.

If Lunin were to move to Chelsea, he would compete with Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic in goal. Regardless, an intriguing summer lies ahead.