The 25-year-old, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, has struggled for form throughout the season and was once again dropped by manager Frank Lampard for last weekend’s must-win final game of the season against Wolves. Veteran backup Willy Caballero was brought in instead and kept a clean sheet, though Chelsea are looking to sign a new number one during the summer transfer window.
Now The Sun report that Kepa fears he has played his last game for Chelsea and is not convinced he can win back the faith of Lampard.
The Blues boss will stick with Caballero between the sticks in the FA Cup final on Saturday, too, with the Argentine having performed well in the competition so far, including against Manchester United in the semi-final. Kepa would have expected to come back into the side for the second leg of Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, but again Caballero is expected to get the nod.
With Chelsea already linked to a host of the world’s best goalkeepers, Kepa is resigned to being offloaded by Lampard this summer – though it remains to be seen if Chelsea will be able to find a buyer, with a loan also mooted. When asked to explain the decision to drop Kepa last time out, Lampard said: ‘It’s just a choice. Kepa has had some difficult times so I’m playing Willy.’
The west London club are believed to have identified Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak as their number one choice to replace Kepa permanently, though the Spanish side will only let him leave if his release clause is met. With Chelsea also looking to strike a £75m deal for Kai Havertz, it seems unlikely they would be able to spend £100m on Oblak too, with cheaper alternatives such as Ajax’s Andre Onana and Burnley’s Nick Pope being discussed.
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