Real Madrid has officially announced the signing of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea.
Real Madrid pursued Kepa, aged 28, in response to an ACL injury suffered by their primary goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during training last week.
Courtois is anticipated to be sidelined for roughly seven months, resulting in Andriy Lunin, the backup option, starting in Madrid’s 2-0 LaLiga victory over Athletic Club on Saturday.
Kepa had been on the brink of joining Madrid from Athletic in January 2018, but plans changed, leading the club to opt for Courtois later that same year.
Subsequently, Kepa took over Courtois’ role at Chelsea in a record €80 million ($87.6m) deal for a goalkeeper.
Over the course of five challenging years at Stamford Bridge, the Spain international went from being the preferred choice during his first two seasons to losing his spot to Édouard Mendy, and then reclaiming it for a significant portion of the 2022-23 campaign.
Last week, Chelsea secured Kepa’s compatriot, Robert Sánchez from Brighton, as their new No. 1 goalkeeper.
The extended absence of Courtois prompted Real Madrid to swiftly search for an experienced and budget-friendly replacement.
ESPN reported that initially, coach Carlo Ancelotti favored signing Sevilla’s Morocco international Yassine Bounou. However, financial demands from Bounou’s club and his scheduled participation in January’s Africa Cup of Nations posed obstacles to the move.
At the Bernabeu, there was no unanimous agreement regarding a potential move for David de Gea, who left Manchester United this summer. As discussions evolved, Kepa soon emerged as the favored choice.
Although he had been on the verge of joining Bayern Munich, Kepa postponed that arrangement upon Madrid’s expression of interest.
Ancelotti expressed his confidence in Lunin ahead of Madrid’s league debut at Athletic, affirming he had “total confidence” in the player. Yet, he conceded that the lack of experience among the other goalkeepers at his disposal might necessitate further action.
“I’m very calm. We have to think about it,” Ancelotti stated on Friday. “We have until [August] 31. If we consider signing a keeper, it boils down to numbers.”