Transfer Talk: Italian giants ready to offer Kepa Blues escape

Chelsea outcast Kepa Arrizabalaga will finally get the chance to end his Blues nightmare this summer with Serie A giants Juventus ready to swoop for his signature.

The news is sure to be music to the ears of the 27-year-old stopper, who has made only three appearances for the West London club this season in all competitions and only started four league games since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel midway through last term.

Signed for a whopping £71.8million in August 2018 — a fee which still ranks him as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper — the Spaniard still has three-and-a-half years left to run on his current contract.

But with the impressive Edouard Mendy now firmly established above him as the Blues’ No1, both player and club are thought to accept that a parting of ways is the for the best.

And according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Juve are the club who will solve the problem by bringing Arrizabalaga to Turin — though a deal is unlikely to occur until the summer window.

The Old Lady are already 10 points adrift of Napoli in this year’s Serie A title race and boss Max Allegri is said to have been eyeing up stoppers since Wojciech Szczesny’s shaky start to 2021-22.

Though the ex-Arsenal man has racked up over a century of games for the Italians, he is four years older than Arrizabalaga and any move for the Chelsea man will be made with a longer-term view in mind.

Juve were one of several clubs tracking Arrizabalaga at Athletic Bilbao prior to his Chelsea switch, having considered him a potential heir to the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.

Four years later than originally intended, it looks like they may well get their man.

In other news

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has asked his agent to facilitate a switch to Real Madrid this January, according to DefensaCentral.

The 24-year-old former Ajax star has made only one Premier League appearance at Old Trafford this term and believes he has something to offer to Carlo Ancelotti’s Los Blancos side.

Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks has confessed that he may have to leave the club in January in search of first-team football.

Winks, 25, featured in Spurs’ disappointing 1-0 Europa Conference League defeat to Vitesse on Thursday and has told The Times that he is in need of minutes to boost his confidence.

Chris Smalling could be one of several stars to depart Roma this January as Jose Mourinho plots a mid-season clearout, Calciomercato suggest.

The former England international, 31, played over 200 games during a nine-year stint at Manchester United and is sure to attract interest from Premier League sides if made available.