Chelsea ‘may have to pay Kepa Arrizabalaga £5m to sit on the bench as £150,000-a-week wages prove to be a stumbling block in attempt to loan him out’ following the arrival of Edouard Mendy
- Chelsea reportedly trying to loan Kepa out but clubs are unwilling to pay salary
- The Blues would want around £60million for the goalkeeper on a permanent deal
- Kepa’s series of high-profile mistakes led to the club signing Edouard Mendy
- Chelsea would be prepared to subsidise Kepa’s wages to facilitate loan move
Chelsea may have to pay goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga £5million to sit on the bench because they cannot find a club willing to sign him, according to The Sun.
The Spaniard who cost an eye-watering £72m when he joined from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, has been relegated to the substitutes’ bench following a series of high-profile errors.
Kepa’s alarming form forced the club to sign Edouard Mendy and appoint the Senegalese stopper as their new No 1.
Kepa Arrizabalaga faces a season on the bench after a series of high-profile errors for Chelsea
Chelsea signed Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from French side Rennes for £22m
It is believed Chelsea would want as much as £60m to sell the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, but with no takers the west Londoners are looking to find a club interested in taking him on loan.
Any club looking to secure Kepa on a temporary basis would be unlikely to pay his £150,000-a-week wages, meaning the Blues would need to subsidise at least half of that.
However with limited interest it is looking increasingly likely that Kepa will remain on the payroll at Stamford Bridge, costing the west London outfit around £5m to be Mendy’s understudy for the season.
Kepa’s latest goalkeeping error against Liverpool led to Mane’s second goal of the game
Chelsea are desperately attempting to offload squad players before the transfer window closes, with Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso both being linked with moves away from the club.
Jorginho and Tiemoue Bakayoko could also be on their way out, while Inter Milan are keen on signing N’Golo Kante.
Ruben-Loftus Cheek is also being linked with a season-long loan move to West Ham.
One player who has left the Bridge is Ross Barkley, the England international has completed a season-long loan to Aston Villa.