Chelsea manager Frank Lampard still has doubts over Kepa Arrizabalaga but has been persuaded to give the keeper until the end of the campaign to prove his quality.
The Spanish shot-stopper became the club’s record signing when he made a £71.6million transfer move from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 – the highest transfer fee ever paid for a keeper.
However, he has struggled to live up to that price tag and was briefly displaced in the starting lineup earlier this campaign by 38-year-old Willy Caballero.
Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move to sign a new goalkeeper as a result, though the Telegraph claim that Frank Lampard has been encouraged to give Kepa one last chance to prove himself.
The 25-year-old performed well when he returned to the team against Liverpool and Everton shortly before the campaign was suspended, and Chelsea do not want Lampard to give up the expensive asset so quickly.
Kepa will be given the last nine matches of the campaign to save his Chelsea career, with Lampard using the season restart to assess his goalkeeping options.
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The Spain international will need to perform well to convince Lampard that he is the reliable No.1 he wants between the sticks, otherwise the Chelsea head coach will look at his options in the market.
Ajax goalie Andre Onana remains on Chelsea radar and is available this summer window, with the Eredivisie club having agreed to let him leave if a good offer is made.
Another possible option is Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope, while the fact that Caballero has signed a one-year deal extension will not affect Lampard’s search to sign another keeper.
Even without a new keeper, this summer is shaping up to be a busy – and expensive – one for the blues, who have already sealed a deal for Hakim Ziyech, have agreed a £50m move for Timo Werner and are also looking to sign a new left-back.
