Chelsea started negotiations with 27-year-old Slovenian shot-stopper
Blues are hoping to seal a huge move for Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak by sending Kepa Arrizabalaga the other way in a player-plus-cash deal. The English manager is keen on replacing Kepa as the first choice shot-stopper at Chelsea, despite the Spaniard costing the club over £71m only two years ago.
Kepa has not been convincing at the back for Chelsea and Frank has dropped him at times this campaign, replacing him with the even less reliable Willy Caballero. Slovenia international is widely considered the best goalkeeper on the planet and Chelsea are looking to tempt him to London by offering Atletico Arrizbalaga plus a transfer fee on top.
Jan’s release clause at Atletico is an enormous £120m, but throwing Kepa into the deal is Blues ploy to reduce this price hugely. Oblak stays under deal until 2023, though, and La Liga giants have no desire to let him go, so it would take a huge offer from the Blues and for the footballer to push for a switch to the PL.
If the 27-year-old shot-stopper and Atletico Madrid cannot be convinced, then Blues are also looking at Ajax star Andre Onana and Red Devils goalkeeper, on loan at Sheffield United, Dean Henderson.
Cameroon international is reportedly keen on a switch to Chelsea and the African goalkeeper would cost less than £30m, which would make him much more affordable than the Slovenian shot-stopper, or indeed Henderson.
The 23-year-old Red Devils shot-stopper has caught the eye on loan with the Blades, but Man United would demand an enormous price for someone they see as their long-term replacement for David de Gea.
Chelsea keen on to sign experienced Ligue 1 keeper this month
A lot of supporters will take a top-quality keeper for granted, and Blues are starting to see that Kepa can no longer be trusted at the top level. Everything bad about his game was on display in the recent defeat to the Hammers their equaliser was a total disaster as he meekly ran into his own footballer and took himself out of the match.
That means a replacement will need to be found this summer. Alphonse Areola is currently on loan at Real Madrid from Parisians, but the report looks to suggest that he doesn’t have a long term future at either club. Los Blancos don’t want to keep him and PSG are keen to sell, so they suggest that Blues would be interested in signing Areola.
They also add that he won’t have any trouble in finding his way out of Paris this summer, so it might come down to Blues actually wanting him. Alphonse’s been a regular during various loan spells and was the first choice for PSG one campaign, but he didn’t do enough to impress and he now finds himself between two sides who don’t rate him.
It would be a solid if somewhat uninspiring signing for Blues, but if he’s better then Arrizabalaga then it’s still worth exploring. Areola has spent this campaign at Real Madrid, on loan from PSG. He has been unable to dislodge ex-Blues star Thibaut Courtois as number one, and there is no room for him back at PSG, who will be looking to cash in on him.
Report: Arsenal make contact with international duo over potential moves, Spurs also linked
Arsenal have reportedly made contact with Ryan Fraser and Willian – two players also linked with Tottenham Hotspur – in order to find out their wage demands, according to Bleacher Report.
Fraser, a Scotland international, was previously with Bournemouth but is now a free agent after turning down a short-term contract to see out the extended Premier League season.
Willian, meanwhile, penned an extension at Chelsea and has been impressive for Frank Lampard’s side since the restart, but his future beyond the end of August is unclear.
According to Bleacher Report, Arsenal have been in touch with both players to get an idea of the contracts they would be looking for.
The Times reported back on 11 June that Fraser had switched agents in the hope of moving to a bigger club and had been offered to teams including Arsenal, Spurs and Everton.
The same outlet then claimed six days later that the 26-year-old was after a contract in excess of £100,000-a-week.
As for Willian, Goal.com claimed earlier this month that Lampard was fearful of losing the Brazil international to Arsenal or Spurs, and had sought to reopen contract talks.
Fraser is a decent player who has Premier League experience, is a tough opponent on his day and could definitely do a job for Mikel Arteta, though he’d likely be a squad player.
Willian is more likely to be a first-teamer given his talent, attitude and experience, rolling back the years to put in performances deemed of being named in consecutive teams of the week.
Arsenal need to bolster their ranks this summer, that’s for sure, but will likely have to do it on a budget.
That said, many other clubs will be in the same boat, so Fraser and Willian are likely to be highly sought after.
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