Kepa is anxiously waiting to hear from Real.
“He has already left Real and has offers from other clubs, but there is a player who is still waiting to hear from Real, and that is Kepa,” Spanish media outlet Marca reported on July 7 (ET).
Kepa has the buildup ability that modern goalkeepers need most. He also stands out for his penalty saving, which was a whopping 67% in La Liga. His lack of height is compensated for by his reflexes, which are quite good.
He was signed by Chelsea in a rush after Courtois’ departure, so he became the club’s highest transfer fee ever for a goalkeeper, €80 million. He was an instant starter and helped the team win the Europa League.
However, as the season wore on, he became increasingly unreliable, with his aerial ball handling becoming a liability, his buildup ability deteriorating, and his save percentage one of the worst among Premier League keepers.
Eventually, under Thomas Tuchel, the gloves were handed over to Edouard Mendy, with Kepa serving as the second-choice backup goalkeeper. Then, in 2022/23, Edouard Mendy had a shaky season and Graham Potter and Lampard turned to Kepa again.
Kepa showed a different side in the 2022/23 season and was one of the club’s best performers despite a poor campaign. Kepa reportedly became disillusioned with the club’s direction and expressed his desire to leave in the summer transfer window. Robert Sanchez, who was brought in as a backup, took over as the first-choice goalkeeper.
“I spent five seasons at Chelsea, a big club, and I thought a change could be good for me. It’s true that Munich was an option, but Real Madrid contacted me and I didn’t have to think about it anymore. It doesn’t matter if I had other opportunities before, but the 19사이트 important thing is that it became a reality last summer,” he said, explaining why he turned down Munich for Real.
The former Real starter has hit rock bottom. Kepa missed November due to injury and returned in December, but he didn’t look good and was completely outclassed by backup goalkeeper Lunin, and hasn’t played since the January 22 game against Almeria. He then returned to Chelsea at the end of the season on loan.
Kepa, who has one year left on his current contract with Chelsea, has received a huge offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad, which is hard to turn down. However, Kepa has asked for time before making a final decision. Kepa is aware of the situation and is looking at the situation at Real.
Currently, Real’s first choice goalkeeper Courtois has two years left on his 2+1 year contract, while second choice keeper Lunin is currently unsigned. Kepa is targeting this second goalkeeper position. Chelsea are currently looking at offers from several clubs and are in no rush to make a decision.
Kepa wants to return to Real, but it”s currently very far away. Real are reluctant to sign him because of the high transfer fee that would be involved.