Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga could be handed a new lifeline with Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri interested in signing him on a loan deal this summer, as per The Sun.
They cite an Italian report saying: “Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri is reportedly interested in a reunion with Chelsea misfit Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Italian outlet Repubblica claim the Italian side are pursuing a loan deal for the Spanish goalkeeper that will see them pay 50 per cent of his wages.”
Kepa Arrizabalaga has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea since the arrival of Edouard Mendy and during the 2020/21 season, the Spanish keeper played in only seven Premier League games for the Blues.
Kepa is the backup keeper at Chelsea right now and if he stays with the club next season then he will once again be limited to the cup competitions and maybe a handful of league starts. And it will be really unfair for a player who cost £72 million just three years ago.
Sarri and Kepa Arrizabalaga do not share the best of relationships after that penalty shootout fiasco against Manchester City but with this interest, the Lazio boss is clearly looking to put all those tussles behind and make a fresh start.
With Edouard Mendy in top form, Kepa Arrizabalaga has no future at Chelsea so we don’t think Thomas Tuchel will have any major problem in letting him leave on a loan deal.
The terms of the deal might be a bit of an issue as Chelsea could look to insert a mandatory buying clause at the end of the term but apart from that, we can’t see why the 26-year-old will not be heading to Lazio in the coming months.
