Real Madrid News
Here we go: Real Madrid and Chelsea reach agreement for Kepa Arrizabalaga – Romano
Real Madrid are set to temporarily replace their first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with Kepa Arrizabalaga, with a loan deal now imminent, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The Merengues were dealt a huge blow earlier this week as Courtois ruptured his ACL, which is set to rule him out for potentially the entire season.
Real Madrid sprung into action immediately and started scouring the market for a replacement, and it is Kepa that the Spanish capital giants have settled on.
The 28-year-old Chelsea ace was headed to Bayern Munich and talks were in advanced stages with the German outfit, but has rejected them in favour of a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Here we go!
Now, Romano is reporting that Real Madrid and Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement for Kepa, with the Italian transfer expert giving his trademark ‘Here we go’ seal on the deal.
The Spanish international will be joining Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal and there will be no option or obligation to buy in the agreement.
The 28-year-old has already agreed terms for the move and having said his goodbyes as well, he is all set to travel to Madrid.
The world’s most expensive goalkeeper, Kepa joined Chelsea from Athletic Club in the summer of 2018 in a deal worth €80 million.
However, he could have been a Real Madrid player six months before that, but then-manager Zinedine Zidane vetoed the transfer.
There is no mention of a loan fee involved in the deal, but it is likely that Real Madrid will be taking over Kepa’s full wages for the 2023/24 season.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
