Newcastle are reportedly keen on a summer transfer for Chelsea second-choice stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Edouard Mendy’s arrival at Chelsea pushed the £72million man down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
And the Blues will entertain offers for Kepa around the £50m mark in the upcoming transfer window, according to the Daily Star.
Mega-rich Newcastle are said to be keen on bringing Kepa to Tyneside, with a number of clubs in LaLiga, including Atletico Madrid, also sniffing around.
Toon are set to continue to utilise their new found fortunes after splashing out close to £100m on five new signings in January.
It’s claimed boss Eddie Howe is happy with current No1 Martin Dubravka but his Saudi bosses are targeting upgrades all over the park in an attempt to turn Newcastle into title contenders.
Spaniard Kepa deputised brilliantly for Mendy when the Senegal international was away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
He helped Chelsea beat Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, and also made a number of good saves in the Club World Cup semis.
Mendy though was immediately reinstated to the starting side for the final against Palmeiras.
There has been nothing wrong with Kepa’s performances though.
His good form means Chelsea are eager to recoup as much of the £72m shelled out on him as they can.
An initial loan deal with obligation to buy clause has been mooted as a potential alternative to a straight £50m fee.
Kepa himself has been buoyed by his recent outings, with SunSport exclusively revealing in the week that the Spaniard believed he should have started Sunday’s Carabao Cup final clash against Liverpool.
The keeper played in every round of Chelsea’s route to Wembley and felt boss Thomas Tuchel owed him an appearance in the final.
The Spaniard ended up being brought on for Edouard Mendy in the 119th minute in order to contest the penalty shoot-out.
But Thomas Tuchel’s move dramatically backfired when Kepa was unable to save any of the Reds’ 11 penalties – before spooning his over the bar to hand them victory.
