Arsenal are in the market for a back-up goalkeeper this summer, and Kepa Arrizabalaga has now emerged as the most likely acquisition.
Norberto Neto has returned to Bournemouth following his loan spell at the Emirates, meaning the Gunners only have David Raya available to them as a senior option in between the sticks.
Tommy Setford has been promoted to Arsenal’s first team, but the youngster likely isn’t ready to assume the number two position in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Thus, the Gunners are exploring various options on the market and believe they may have discovered a potentially excellent opportunity with Kepa.
Arsenal make Kepa Arrizabalaga their transfer priority
Arsenal failed in their pursuit of Joan Garcia, who had been Arteta and Andrea Berta’s first-choice target to deputise for Raya.
Garcia had better options on the table, with his stock rising to a level where playing second fiddle wasn’t an attractive proposition, and he’s now expected to join Barcelona.
Thus, the Gunners have moved on, and have now identified Kepa as their priority goalkeeping target.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal are intent on landing the Spaniard, who has a £5 million release clause in his Chelsea contract, this summer.
Kepa enjoyed an exceptional season on loan at Bournemouth last season, keeping nine clean sheets in the Premier League, and is said to be open to a switch to N5.
However, he’s likely to have several proposals from clubs who can offer him the number one shirt, so the Gunners are prepared to make an enticing sales pitch to the 30-year-old.
Arsenal are actively pursuing an agreement with the player, who they consider a potential steal at just £5 million.
Arsenal will likely offer Kepa Arrizabalaga Champions League minutes to convince him to sign
Kepa was one of the outstanding goalkeepers in the English top flight last season, and will no doubt have plenty of offers on the table.
Thus, it’ll certainly be difficult for Berta to persuade him to swap regular minutes for mostly sitting on the bench at Arsenal.
Merely promising him minutes in the domestic cups simply won’t cut it, and they’ll therefore have to offer him more if they want to secure his services.
The only way Arsenal can lure Kepa to the Emirates is by offering him a role which sees him take some Champions League games away from Raya.
In the League Phase, Arteta may opt to start Kepa over the former Brentford man, to keep the number one sharp for league matches.
This may be enough to tempt the Chelsea star to North London, otherwise Arsenal will have to settle for a number two whom Arteta would not trust to fill in for Raya in case of emergency.
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