European clubs circle for Chelsea record signing as discussions continue ahead of potential £10m departure

Italian club Fiorentina are the latest team to show interest in Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and are willing to agree on a fee with Chelsea, even though the goalkeeper has asked for time to decide his future, LondonWorld has been told.

In 2018, Chelsea signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao for £71 million - the highest fee ever paid for a goalkeeper and a club-record transfer. He showed incredible promise in his first season but faced challenges halfway through the second season at the club and has since never looked back.

Last summer, he played most of the pre-season games for Chelsea before leaving for Madrid at the dawn of the new campaign on loan. The 29-year-old is now at a crossroads with just one year left on his contract in west London.

Spanish sources have told LondonWorld Real Madrid will sign Kepa if Andriy Lunin leaves the club this summer. Lunin wants a bigger role at Madrid, but the record Champions League holders can only offer a supportive role, with Thibaut Courtois considered the undisputed number one.

Kepa, however, is happy to be the No. 2 at Madrid and has asked all clubs interested in him, including Fiorentina and a club in Saudi Arabia, to give him time to make a good decision as he keeps an eye on the goalkeeping situation at Madrid.

Lunin’s agent is Jorge Mendes, and DefensaMadrid.com claims the super agent is working hard to secure a move for his client that will eventually pave the way for Kepa to move to the Spanish capital.

The former Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper has just one season left on his contract, and Chelsea are likely not to demand more than £10 million to seal his departure as they would be happy to have his huge wages off their books. Chelsea have also shown they have moved on from him, having signed three goalkeepers in the last two windows, including Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, and new arrival Filip Jorgensen.