Chelsea flop Kepa Arrizabalaga offered loan transfer to revive career in Italy

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been offered an opportunity to revive his career in Italy, with Napoli submitting a proposal to sign him on loan.

That is according to the Daily Mail, which reports that the Serie A club is looking to add competition between the sticks, with former first choice goalkeeper David Ospina having left for a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.

That leaves Alex Meret, who was part of the Italy squad which won EURO 2020 last summer, as the team’s only recognised first-team goalkeeper.

The two clubs have been in regular contact this summer in order to arrange Kalidou Koulibaly’s move to Stamford Bridge, which was confirmed last week, bringing the Senegalese defender’s eight-year stint with Napoli to an end.

Spain international Arrizabalaga became Chelsea’s record signing when he replaced Thibaut Courtois as the team’s first choice goalkeeper in 2018, signing for a fee of £71m at the beginning of Maurizio Sarri’s sole season in charge.

His first two seasons were laden with errors, though, and in 2022 Frank Lampard purchased Édouard Mendy from Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 in order to replace Arrizabalaga. Since then, Mendy has been starting choice under Lampard and latterly Thomas Tuchel, leaving Arrizabalaga on the bench.

The 27-year-old has been used by Tuchel as a stand-in penalty shootout goalkeeper, replacing Mendy in both the UEFA Super Cup final against Villarreal and the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool last season, succeeding in the former and missing the crucial spot-kick himself in the latter.

Arrizabalaga insists that he is not ‘desperate’ to leave Chelsea, and that his ideal scenario would be to become number one again at Stamford Bridge, but will consider a move away if that is not possible.

‘Right now I’m a Chelsea player, but what is clear to me is that I want to play more, because I’ve come from a year or two where, when I’ve played, I’ve had great performances.

‘For that reason, for the good performances I’ve had, the feeling is that I want more. I want to play more. I’m at Chelsea and I want to succeed here. And if I can’t, we would look at different things, because my clear objective is to play.

‘I’m not desperate. At the end of the day, I’m at a very big club. I will talk to the coach and we will decide, but with the clear message that I want to play more.’

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