Fabrizio Romano claims Chelsea closing in on surprise goalkeeper agreement with Belgian club to boost Kepa succession plan

Chelsea are close to allowing KAS Eupen to take goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina on loan to Belgium for the 2023-24 season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Slonina signed for Chelsea from Chicago Fire last August and was allowed to stay with the MLS side on loan until the new year. He is yet to make his senior debut for Chelsea since his integration into the fold, instead earning eight appearances for their under-21 team.

Nor has Slonina featured in any of Chelsea’s three pre-season friendlies in his home country so far, though he was on the bench for the most recent.

Nevertheless, after earning 43 competitive appearances for Chicago Fire, he will be keen for his progress not to stagnate.

Therefore, the 19-year-old may benefit from some regular gametime elsewhere, which is why Chelsea are ready to give the green light to a loan spell at Eupen.

Romano has revealed via Twitter that an agreement is close for Chelsea to send Slonina to Eupen for the entire duration of the 2023-24 season.

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The plan is that he will play regularly for the Belgian side, who finished one place above the relegation places in their country’s top domestic league last term.

There are already various goalkeepers on the books at Eupen, but it appears Slonina has been highlighted as someone who can usurp them all in the pecking order.

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Beyond then, Slonina will remain under contract until 2028 at Stamford Bridge. In Romano’s words, he is a “key part of [Chelsea’s] future plans.”

The goalkeeping department at Chelsea has already undergone some evolution this summer. Edouard Mendy was part of their wave of players moving to Saudi Arabia, signing for Al Ahli.

It has left Kepa Arrizabalaga as the main goalkeeper at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal. In turn, it will be important for Chelsea to find someone else to compete with the Spaniard.

But that step may be too soon for Slonina, even if Chelsea have bigger plans in the long term for the once-capped USMNT player.

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