Kepa Arrizabalagaย is reportedly on the chopping block at Chelsea and could be sold byย Thomas Tuchel, despite stepping up in the absence ofย Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea splashed out a hefty ยฃ71m fee to sign the 27-year-old Spaniard from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 after the departure of Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid.
Kepa, who was the most expensive โkeeper in the world before Liverpool signed Alisson, was ousted as Chelseaโs No 1 by club teammate Mendy.
Advert
The Chelsea star has been battling for minutes at Stamford Bridge since the arrival of Mendy, who was brought to the club by Blues legend Frank Lampard in 2020.
However, Mendyโs international duties with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations allowed Kepa to shine for Chelsea between the sticks.
Kepa has managed four clean sheets in seven starts since Mendy linked up with his Senegal teammates for AFCON, which Aliou Cisseโs men won last Sunday.
Read More:
The Spain international was in action for Chelseaโs 1-0 win over Al Hilal in the Club World Cup semi-final on Sunday.
Advert
However,ย ESPNย reports that Chelsea boss Tuchel is โseriously considering replacingโ Kepa with Mendy for the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras on Saturday.
Mendy, 29, returned to Chelseaโs Ritz-Carlton hotel base on Wednesday afterย Senegal beat Egypt on penalties in the AFCON final.
Chelseaโs coaching staff has acknowledged โkey improvementsโ Kepa has made in recent months, but he could still be axed from Stamford Bridge going forward.
Advert
Kepa has โresponded wellโ to the idea of altering his goalkeeping style by adopting a โmore aggressiveโ approach and โavoiding the temptation to retreatโ to his line, according to ESPN.
Read More:
But the publication believes the former Bilbao โkeeper is โfacing a fight to save his Chelsea career,โ even after impressing Chelseaโs coaching staff.
Advert
ESPN reports that Kepaโs lack of playing time at Chelsea with the return of Mendy means the club are โwilling to listen to offers for the Spaniard.โ
Kepaโs current contract with Chelsea expires in 2025, with the Spanish shot-stopper earning ยฃ150,000-a-week wages at the club.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics:ย Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea, Premier League, England, Football