Bayern Munich’s head coach Thomas Tuchel has grown an interest in Chelsea’s goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalga, reported Standard Sport on Wednesday.
Bayern want to sign the goalkeeper on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.
Bayern are in desperate need of a goalkeeper after Yann Sommer left for the Italian club Inter Milan.
Manuel Neuer is out of the field after breaking his leg in a skiing accident in December and has undergone two operations so far.
There is no date announced for Neuer's return and that is the reason Bayern are desperate to sign Kepa so they can kick off their next season’s campaign with a first-choice keeper.
Although, Kepa is not the only one on Bayern’s radar. They are also trying to get Ajax’s Geronimo Rulli or Sevilla’s Bounou.
The loan deal is favoured by the German club as they are trying to save money to complete the signing of English striker Harry Kane after their first £85m bid was rejected by Tottenham Hotspurs.
It must be noted that Kepa worked under Tuchel during his time at Chelsea where he won the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2021 after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Spanish goalkeeper now faces strong competition for the starting spot after Chelsea completed the signing of Robert Sanchez from Benfica.
Even though Kepa — who just has two years left in his £190,000-a-week contract — is rated highly by new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, the London Club is open to selling him.
Chelsea’s UCL-winning goalkeeper joined the Saudi club Al-Ahli in June and have been looking at replacements, with Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili and Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel on their shortlist.
The Blues have already sold 13 footballers just within two months including big-money transfers like Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mason Mount to Manchester United.
Pochettino wants to revamp his entire squad after the club finished 12th last season in the Premier League. They lost more matches (16) than they won (11) and changed three managers during the season.