Kepa Arrizabalaga expects to be shown the exit door at Chelsea this summer amid fears he has played his last game for the club.
According to The Sun the Spanish goalkeeper is set to be left out of the FA Cup final clash with Arsenal on Saturday and replaced with 38-year-old veteran Willy Caballero.
Kepa became Chelsea’s record signing in 2018 in a £71.6 million move from Athletic Bilabao, but persistent errors have hampered his progress.
The 25-year-old was dropped for Chelsea’s Premier League final day victory over Wolves, and the stopper is reportedly convinced he will not win his place back in time to feature in the Champions League tie at Bayern Munich on August 8.
Blues are 3-0 down heading into the last-16 second leg, meaning it will most likely be the club’s final match of the protracted 2019-20 season.
Kepa has struggled to win Frank Lampard’s trust since the Chelsea icon’s appointment as manager in July 2019, keeping 10 clean sheets in 41-appearances.
The Spain international was dropped for five matches in February after a poor run of form, but reclaimed his spot in the FA Cup win over Liverpool and league victory over Everton.
Kepa kept his place when the season resumed in June but played his part in slipshod defensive displays against West Ham and Sheffield United.
The keeper’s inability to stop champions Liverpool in the 5-3 defeat at Anfield proved the final straw for Lampard, who is now looking to strengthen his goalkeeping options in the transfer window.
Sportsmail understands Blues are reluctant to sell Kepa given the strong possibility of taking a major financial hit, but the club could be persuaded to strike a deal if a bid in excess of £50 million is made.
In the meantime, Chelsea’s new performance and technical director Petr Cech, who played in goal for the club between 2004 and 2015, will use his expertise to find a replacement.
Burnley keeper Nick Pope, Ajax’s Andre Onana and Manchester United loanee Dean Henderson are thought to be among those on the shortlist.
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